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

R

Released Jun 27, 2014

1h 47m

Documentary

List

83%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

70%

Audience Score

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

Full Review

Joe McGovern

Entertainment Weekly

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

Rated: A-

Dec 3, 2014

Full Review

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

Full Review

Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

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

Rated: 3.25/5

Jul 18, 2019

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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Manny P

One would hope that, in time, the regional FBI, the "stadies" and the DoJ, will be shamed into extinction. All the members past, present and deceased have their service records expunged, pensions ceased and reparations for the families sought. A wonderful city, but the rats live above ground.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/14/22

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

Full Review

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

Stephen S

Excellent documentary using interviews and actual footage. If you like true crime or are even remotely interested in Whitey Bulger, check this out.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/20/16

Full Review

Audience Member

http://filmreviewsnsuch.blogspot.com/2016/06/whitey-united-states-of-america-v-james.html

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Gets really boring. The last half of courtroom he-said-she-said is very tiring. Some interesting stuff, but the allegations of corruption are not proved, and argumentative at best. Read about Whitey online instead. Watched on Netflix at home, March 7, 2016.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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: Third Eye Motion Picture Company, CNN Films, Magnolia Pictures, Radical Media
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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