Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger

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Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger

R

2014

1h 47m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

83%

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47 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Filmmaker Joe Berlinger examines the story of South Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger, including his sensational trial. Key players on every side reveal Bulger's influence on crime and law enforcement.

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Critics Consensus

An admirable yet incomplete effort to cover a sprawling subject, Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger will leave viewers wanting more -- in good ways as well as bad.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Dense thickets of information, told via rostrum-shot photos and documents plus angry mob's worth of witnesses, become a grind after a while, as does the trite guitar-led mystery music.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 23, 2015

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Joe McGovern

Entertainment Weekly

With minimal conspiratorial bluster, Berlinger unmasks the compliant faces of evil.

Rated: A-

Dec 3, 2014

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

Within the confines of an under-two-hours running time ... Berlinger does an impressive job of keeping the film coherent and often fascinating.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 17, 2014

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Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

Joe Berlinger again directs an incisive and compelling court case documentary.

Rated: 3.25/5

Jul 18, 2019

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C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

Taking one of the most notorious criminals in US history, Berlinger makes a truly compelling argument against the status quo when it comes to Bulger's sordid past.

Jun 20, 2019

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Frank Ochieng

Popoptiq

Whitey does not begin to scratch the surface of a vicious broken man whose life of crime was such an abomination to afflicted generations of New Englanders that were close in proximity to an out-of-control devil that demanded disorder and devastation.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 8, 2018

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Bulgantamir B

Directer was so well

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/02/24

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Munkhjargal A

the film explores Bulger's history of Boston crime, including his sensational trial. Key players on each side produced a documentary detailing Bulger's crime and influence on law enforcement.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/28/24

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Bahad j

I felt like the characters in this movie could feel the happiness and difficulties that they faced in real life.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/27/24

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Бавуу Э

Filmmaker Joe Berlinger examines the story of South Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger, including his sensational trial. Key players on every side reveal Bulger's influence on crime and law enforcement.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/01/24

Full Review

a.l.jude p

Lacking of depth comparatively to other renown documentaries. Assume this is influence by CNN prehistoric.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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dave d

'WHITEY: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V. JAMES J. BULGER' is a mostly solid documentary on how corrupt the FBI and the mob were. Being that the two were working together makes it a bit scary. Having seen 'Black Mass' I felt I was pretty well informed on the subject, but there is more to learn here especially considering you have clips from Bulger via a phone call with his lawyer. It's not hard-hitting on Bulger, but it is on the FBI. It covers a lot of ground that the dramatized 'Black Mass' got wrong and neglected. It doesn't much talk about anything but the crimes. There's still a lot missing including his ability to be on the lam for almost two decades. I want to know more about this fascinating story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Joe Berlinger

Director

James "Whitey" Bulger

Actor

Stephen Rakes

Actor

Tommy Donahue

Actor

David Boeri

Actor

Dick Lehr

Actor

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Joe Berlinger examines the story of South Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger, including his sensational trial. Key players on every side reveal Bulger's influence on crime and law enforcement.

Director: Joe Berlinger
Producer: Joe Berlinger, Caroline Suh
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: CNN Films, Radical Media, Third Eye Motion Picture Company, Magnolia Pictures
Rating: R (Some Crime Scene Images|Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $75.6K
Runtime: 1h 47m

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