Black Mass is an action-packed crime drama with a bleak and disturbing tone. It tells the true story of Whitey Bulger, a violent criminal living in South Boston, who was a local criminal until he became an FBI informant. He was the brother of a state senator and the childhood friend of a local rising FBI agent, who talks him into making a deal. As an informant, he gave the FBI leads on local mafia in exchange for his protected status. He was then able to commit crimes on a more national scale and rise to power. Eventually, his deeds caught up to him, but by then, he had escaped and wasn't found until much, much later in life.
The narrative of the film is constructed by showing all of Whitey's former employees sharing their testimonies with the FBI and admitting what they had done under his leadership. We don't know exactly what influenced them to do this, but it is alluded to in their stories. We are left to consider why this or that employee might have decided to testify…
The narrative of the film is constructed by showing all of Whitey's former employees sharing their testimonies with the FBI and admitting what they had done under his leadership. We don't know exactly what influenced them to do this, but it is alluded to in their stories. We are left to consider why this or that employee might have decided to testify…