Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger 2014

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. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: "Whitey" emerges as yet another of Berlinger's gripping, irony-laced snapshots of the American criminal justice system ... Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: The journalism is comprehensive, the scope admirably large. Those who can keep up will learn plenty about how a major, high-profile case proceeds. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: "Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger" takes all of our accumulated experience of places like "Southie" and makes it real. Terrifyingly, frustratingly real. Read more

Peter Keough, Boston Globe: In every frame of the film, Berlinger's heart goes out to the victims and their survivors. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: In this movie, corruption is rife on both sides of the blue line. Read more

Joe McGovern, Entertainment Weekly: With minimal conspiratorial bluster, Berlinger unmasks the compliant faces of evil. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: Joe Berlinger's densely detailed new documentary about the legendary Boston mobster is disturbing on so many levels it's hard not to wonder why Bulger was the only one on trial. Read more

David Denby, New Yorker: Complicated beyond imagining, and, in the end, a genuine shocker. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: [It] leaves us wanting more - more on Bulger's childhood, more on the Irish gangs, more on the awful crimes themselves. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: Bulger remains frustratingly opaque. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Fascinating and frightening. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Gripping and troubling ... Read more

Michael Sragow, Orange County Register: Whitey: United States of America vs. James J. Bulger is the equivalent of a gripping true-crime "read." Read more

James Adams, Globe and Mail: With a large cast of wise guys, reporters, ex-cops, victims and lawyers, lawyers, lawyers, it's like five seasons of The Wire distilled into one epic episode. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: It's a complex case and Berlinger isn't always successful in keeping the story clear. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Berlinger needs to give his heavy-metal backdrop music a rest, but this is still one of his most ambitious films, vibrating with the same municipal unease as Chinatown. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: Bulger himself doesn't appear, of course; at age 84, he's currently serving two consecutive life terms, plus five years. Somehow, it just doesn't seem long enough. Read more