Synopsis
A documentary that captures the sensational trial of infamous gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, using the legal proceedings as a springboard to explore allegations of corruption within the highest levels of law enforcement. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger examines Bulger's relationship with the FBI and Department of Justice that allowed him to reign over a criminal empire in Boston for decades.
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Cast
- Stephen RakesBulger Extortion Victim
- James J. BulgerDefendent
- Tommy DonahueSon of Victim Michael Donahue
- David BoeriWBUR Senior Reporter
Recommendations
- 100
The Playlist
What makes Joe Berlinger’s riveting new true crime doc Whitey: The United States vs. James J. Bulger such an eye-opener is that it isn’t just about a bad guy who did bad things, but the layers of corruption and moral ambiguity that stacked up on both side of the law. - 91
IndieWire
Although Berlinger’s latest work is a dense, unsparing look at the offenses and trial of Whitey Bulger, it's equally concerned with capturing how the many members of Bulger's expansive web -- criminals and innocent citizens alike -- use their experiences to control their version of the man. - 80
Time Out
This is still one of his (Berlinger) most ambitious films, vibrating with the same municipal unease as "Chinatown." - 75
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
The fact that Bulger, at long last, is rotting in jail, is little consolation. Perhaps only a Hollywood version of this story, one starring Johnny Depp, can give it a satisfying conclusion. - 75
The A.V. Club
Provides little in the way of comforting catharsis. That may be because Berlinger, a thorough and impassioned muckraker, has managed to find hints of injustice in the justice that was served. - 75
Boston Globe
Filmmaker Joe Berlinger isn’t so much inspired as disgusted by the notorious gangster in his newest documentary. - 70
Village Voice
Berlinger covers lots of territory, including heartrending accounts from the family members of some of Bulger's victims. The whole exercise is fascinating, if vaguely unsatisfying. - 63
Slant Magazine
It seems too enamored with the seductive notion of an honorable criminal, too ready to take Bulger's justifications as actual indications of his relative innocence.
