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

Whitey tells a mesmerizing story about the shocking degree of official corruption and collusion that allowed a monster named James “Whitey” Bulger to run amok for decades. In some respects, Bulger—who went on trial in 2013 for multiple murders and racketeering—is actually an incidental player in this film by Emmy-winning director Joe Berlinger. A mob boss running out of South Boston (independent of Mafia families on the East Coast), Bulger proved useful to the FBI and Department of Justice in helping to obtain the arrests of key figures in the traditional Cosa Nostra (although Bulger, who speaks on the phone here, claims he never ratted anyone out to authorities). Where the story becomes both compelling and terrifying is in courtroom disagreement over whether Bulger, in fact, was a protected informant for the federal government or if he was simply paying bribes to a wide number of lawmen to stay out of his way. Either way, Bulger—according to expert interviewees—was allowed to break the law (and commit many murders) while the FBI looked the other way. A disturbing documentary, this is highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (13 min.), Sundance Film Festival interviews with director Joe Berlinger and others (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disturbing documentary.] (T. Keogh)