71
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistDrew TaylorThe PlaylistDrew TaylorWhat 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.
- 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.
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThis is still one of his (Berlinger) most ambitious films, vibrating with the same municipal unease as "Chinatown."
- 75McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreThe 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.
- 75Boston GlobePeter KeoughBoston GlobePeter KeoughFilmmaker Joe Berlinger isn’t so much inspired as disgusted by the notorious gangster in his newest documentary.
- 70Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie ZacharekBerlinger 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.
- 63Slant MagazineTomas HachardSlant MagazineTomas HachardIt 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.
- 60The DissolveMike D'AngeloThe DissolveMike D'AngeloIt’s a compelling story. Trouble is, it isn’t a terribly visual story, and this documentary doesn’t serve it nearly as well as a book or lengthy article would.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierFilled with horrific but colorful anecdotes, director Joe Berlinger’s incisive look at the mobster life of Boston career criminal and FBI informant “Whitey” Bulger is essential viewing for fans of lurid, true underworld tales.