Is Johnny Depp’s Black Mass based on a true story? Explained

Modified Sep 16, 2024 18:54 GMT

Johnny Depp seen as the mobster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass (Image via Instagram/@Blackmassmovie)

Released in September 2015 and directed by Scott Cooper, Black Mass is a crime drama worth checking out. The film's screenplay is written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, and its storyline is drawn from the 2001 book of the same name by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill.

The synopsis of Black Mass, as per Netflix, reads:

"This drama recounts the real-life story of Whitey Bulger, the infamous gangster who made a deal with the feds and eluded arrest for years."

Johnny Depp shines in his villainous turn as the gangster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass. The film is based on the real-life story of the notorious mobster and depicts his relationship with the FBI agent, John Connolly, while secretly working as an FBI informant.

Who was the real Whitey Bulger depicted in Black Mass?

A still from the 2015 biographical film (Image via Instagram/@Blackmassmovie)

Black Mass recounts the life of the notorious Boston mobster, Whitey Bulger, a leading figure in the world of organized crime between the 1970s and 1990s. He was on the FBI’s most-wanted list for several years and, at one point, was only surpassed by the 9/11 mastermind, Osama bin Laden.

Bulger became the leader of South Boston's crime syndicate, Winter Hill Gang, in 1979. A few years before 1975, he had turned into an FBI informant and worked closely with Agent John Connolly. Although the two men were on opposite sides of the law, they had grown up in the same neighborhood of South Boston. Throughout their agent-informant relationship, they came to trust each other closely.

Bulger wielded more power in their dynamic and manipulated Connolly into covering up his heinous crimes. The corrupt agent would often notify the mobster of investigations into his gang’s activities by other FBI authorities. Connolly would also overlook the litany of murders committed by the Winter Hill Gang and would even go as far as to falsify records to keep Bulger out of harm.

Whitey came close to being arrested in December 1994 but was able to escape after being tipped off by Connolly. He lived as a fugitive for the next two decades and was finally arrested on June 22, 2011, in Santa Monica, California. During his trial, he was found guilty on 31 criminal counts, including 11 murders, and handed two consecutive life sentences plus five years.

Bulger spent the rest of his life behind bars and was killed by the inmates at U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in northern West Virginia on October 30, 2018, at the age of 89.

Black Mass plot summary

Black Mass chronicles the life of Whitey Bulger as the leader of South Boston's crime syndicate, Winter Hill Gang. To consolidate power, he became an FBI informant and helped the feds take down his rival gang, the Angiulo Brothers. In exchange, his FBI handler John Connolly (whom he knew in childhood) protected him from the law and helped cover his crimes for decades.

The film was a critical and commercial success, with audiences especially praising Johnny Depp's performance. Almost a decade later, Black Mass was added to Netflix's roster on September 12, 2024. The crime thriller reached Netflix's Top 10 list and ranked #4 on Monday, September 16, 2024, within days of arriving on the streaming platform.