Sunday Matinee #171 The Departed
"I know you" means something different from Mr. French than Jesus.
A movie secret identity and a gospel secret identity. Who is open to the truth?
The Departed | 2006
IMDb | Letterboxd | RRMC
Context: Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is undercover in his old neighborhood, trying to make the right connections. Roughing up a bar patron in front of Mr. French (Ray Winstone) on purpose, Billy plays the hothead to make the right connections. French pulls him off the guy and warns him.
FRENCH: Hey. Hey, hey. Do you know me?
BILLY: No. No.
FRENCH: Well, I’m the guy that tells you there are guys you can hit… and there’s guys you can’t. Now, that’s not quite a guy you can’t hit… but it’s almost a guy you can’t hit. So I’m gonna make a fucking ruling on this right now: You don’t fucking hit him. You understand?
BILLY: Yeah, excellent. Fine. Fine, fine.
FRENCH: I fucking know you. I know your family. You make one more drug deal… with that idiot fucking cop-magnet of a cousin of yours… and I’ll forget your grandmother was so nice to me.
Luke 24:13-35 | EnterTheBible.org
Third Sunday of Easter | 04.19.2026
Context: This is one of several accounts in the post-resurrection endings for the gospels. In this case, Jesus meets two disciples who don’t recognize him and why would they? They think he’s dead!
13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”
Movies and faith in your mailbox for free.
Commentary:
Billy Costigan grew up in a family with crime connections. But his father did everything he could to keep him away from that life. When he grew up, he went into the State Police Academy. There, he was recruited to shadow drop-out and become an undercover operative back in his old neighborhood. His secret identity is his family’s criminal past. His cover is his presented hothead persona. In this scene, it proves enough.
Billy postures in front of Mr. French, the number one henchman of big boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). If he can get his attention in the right way, French will notice and get him closer to Costello and closer to ending organized crime in his old neighborhood. A fistfight with not quite a guy you can’t hit will do get you attention.
Mr. French makes a big mistake. He tells Billy “I know you.” He says it to intimidate Billy Costigan, to make him think French knows his place and is warning him to stay in his lane. He follows up by saying “I know your family.” Meaning, he knows all of the history, where his families’ bodies are buried and where his father refused to bury bodies and what that reputation means on these streets. Finally, he invokes Costigan’s grandmother. She was “so nice to me” which means she may have loved you and you may have loved her but I was a rotten kid who she took under her wing when she didn’t need to, and that sort of bond is different than blood.
Mr. French essentially warns to watch out, Costigan. I’ve got your number.
Only, he doesn’t. As I say, French makes a big mistake. He knows Billy’s past. His family’s past. But not his present. And not the future it will lead. Billy’s cover is not only intact, it’s made stronger by French’s arrogance. He misreads Costigan’s cover and tries to assert greater dominance over his attempt at asserting dominance. Sometimes, even the most powerful person in the room can’t see the truth right before their eyes.
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus also can’t see the truth right before their eyes. They’re walkin’ and talkin’ with the risen Jesus, but they don’t know it’s him. His secret identity is “fellow traveler.” His cover is dead. And I mean, hey, that’s a pretty good cover!
These two friends have no need to posture to Jesus. They make their grief obvious, what you call “wearing your heart on your sleeve.” Which really, was pretty risky. They don’t know who this person is or how he feels about Jesus. Don’t they know that in polite society you don’t bring up religion or politics?! Jesus is both!
I don’t think they make a mistake like Mr. French, however. He postures with bravado. It’s the disciples’ grief that hides Jesus’s identity. We may recall the classic “widow’s veil” of yesteryear. They also wear a veil of grief and they just can’t see.
Jesus listens to them talk about him. Then, he reveals himself in several ways. First, he opens the scriptures to them and they deepen their understanding of who he is. Eventually, he opens the table to them in the breaking of the bread as he had done a few nights before, bringing about what we now call Holy Communion. And all along the way, he opens their hearts simply by his presence, undercover as it may be.
Faith in God does involve faith in an undercover presence. It’s trusting that some day, in some day, in some person, God’s presence will be revealed and it will be a revelation. And God is much more powerful than Mr. French. God really does know our past, our present, our potential. We get that in this story. Jesus knows these disciples and shows them how well they know each other. What are the ways you’ve known and been known by the holy?
When Jesus says, “I know you,” he means it.
Disclosure: Some links here are affiliate links, which means at no cost to you, I earn affiliate commission if you tap or click the link and finalize a qualifying purchase. You can also express your support by Ko-Fi or as a paid subscriber.
Glad you’re here today, Dear Reader. God’s peace and good movies to you!