There are gangsters ... and then there is James “Whitey” Bulger.
Once on the FBI’s 10 Most- Wanted Fugitives list, the Boston native is serving two consecutive life terms plus five years (which sounds a little redundant) in a Florida penitentiary, after he was convicted of 31 crimes, including involvement in 11 murders.
Yet, that is only one part of the story of a criminal who was also an informant for the FBI, and whose brother, Billy, climbed to the upper echelons of Massachusetts politics.
This murky mingling of political, federal and gangster power fascinated actor-turned-director Scott Cooper, whose film Black Mass dramatises Bulger's epic reign of terror.
“In South Boston in the 1970s and 1980s, certain lawmen and certain criminals were virtually indistinguishable,” he says. “You have an intersection of politics and crime that still continues today – it’s something that’s fascinating and makes for compelling cinema.”
As Whitey Bulger, Johnny Depp delivers one of the most chilling performances of his career – making his turn as 1920s gangster John Dillinger in Michael Mann's 2009 film Public Enemies look tame in comparison.
“One side of him was this businessman who, within the language of that business, did what he had to do,” says Depp, referring to Bulger’s penchant for extreme violence. “And there was another side of him, the loving family man ... very dedicated to his mother and his brother.”
Describing Bulger as “very complicated”, Depp is well aware he has to be careful – at the film’s premiere, at the Toronto International Film Festival, he angered some relatives of Bulger’s victims when he said there was “a kind heart” in the killer.
Bill St Croix, the brother of Deborah Hussey, who was strangled by Bulger in 1985, said it was “a very stupid, insensitive comment. There’s nothing humane about Jimmy Bulger.”
Still, Bulger was undeniably well liked by some. When Cooper met a woman in Boston that he wanted to cast as Bulger’s mother, she refused.
“She said: ‘Scott, I don’t want to be in the film. Jimmy and Billy Bulger were very good to me, very good to this neighbourhood, and I have no interest, thank you,’” the director says.
Depp adds: “He would take little old ladies’ groceries into the house and then 10 minutes later might be bashing someone’s skull in ... but to him, that was what he knew. That was all he knew.”
While Depp has always been keen on transforming himself on film, Bulger is one of his most arresting creations yet. With receding hair slicked back, his dark eyes are covered with bright blue contact lenses.
“They were hand-painted,” says Depp, “They needed to be piercing. They needed to cut right through you.”
When Bulger’s lawyer, J W Carney Jr, visited the set, he was taken aback.
“I’ve known this man forever,” he told Cooper. “And to see Johnny Depp portray him the way he does, it’s uncanny and chilling.”
Although Depp contacted Bulger, through Carney Jr, the criminal “respectfully” declined to meet the actor.
"I don't believe he was a great fan of the book," says Depp, referring to the film's source text, Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob, by Boston crime reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill. "I also don't believe he was a fan of any of the books written about him."
Maybe not, but you suspect he might secretly enjoy a film with a cast that also includes Benedict Cumberbatch as Bulger's brother, Billy, Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson as his beleaguered wife, and Joel Edgerton as FBI agent John Connolly, a childhood friend of the Bulger brothers, who ultimately recruits Whitey as an informant. And that's before even considering an ensemble that features Rory Cochrane, Jesse Plemons, Kevin Bacon and Adam Scott.
A perfect storm of acting talent? No question. And you can expect Black Mass to be a leading contender during this year's awards season, just as Goodfellas and The Godfather once were.
However difficult the subject matter or controversial the characterisation, given that this is a brutal story with real victims, the film offers audiences the vicarious thrill of living a life on the lam.
As Edgerton puts it: “It’s a great way of standing on a little stool and looking through a window at bad people doing bad things.”
• Black Mass opens in UAE cinemas on October 1.
artslife@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The five pillars of Islam
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
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SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
