Aiming to bring attention to Bulger's criminal life, Black Mass takes the viewer into Bulger's life following his release from a nine-year prison sentence. Bulger has served prison sentences in various correctional facilities. Facilities include Alcatraz and Atlanta Penitentiaries, Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, and Lewisburg. But how did Bulger become a crime boss? After his release from custody in 1965 and 1972, Mullen's gang had just destroyed the Killeen gang, and once a truce was called, Bulger ended up becoming an influential crime boss in Boston. However, the crimes would prove too costly for the 89-year-old Bulger who is currently serving a life sentence for 11 murders committed during his life of crime and as a crime boss in Boston. The article examines the film Black Mass and identifies similarities and differences in the portrayal of Bulger. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In September 2015, Bulger, then 86, through his defense attorney, protested Johnny Depp's portrayal of his life of crime. Through his lawyer, Brennan, Bulger argued that Hollywood greed led falsehoods to escape the real scourge. People close to Bulger also protested their portrayal as the film tries to connect Bulger's life with those close to him. The first scenes narrate that Bulger wins a lottery. In real life, the scene happened in a way. In 1991, Michael Linskey purchased a winning lottery ticket from a liquor store that cost $14.3 million. Bulger owned the store. An agreement was later signed between Bulger, Linksey and Lindsey's brother to split the winnings. However, the act was later interpreted by an American lawyer as a plan to launder the stolen money (Michelle, Masslive). Bulger's lawyer's protest is real with Black Mass exaggerating Bulger's revelation to Flemmi that he is an FBI informant. Bulger explains his involvement with the FBI reasonably and in detail and convinces Flemmi to see things his way. However, Flemmi joined the "dark side". The theory is that Flemmi betrayed Bulger, subsequently leading to Bulger's forced cooperation with the FBI. It is also believed that over 90/5 of the tips came from Flemmi. However, most of the suggestions seem to come from Connolly's Bulger (Time Black Mass: What it Got Right About Whitey Bulger & the FBI). Connolly, an FBI agent, is the officer credited with recruiting Bulger as an informant. According to Time, the recruitment is fictitious in some respects. While it is true that Billy and John had grown up together in South Boston, Time points out that Whitney had made it a condition that her brother not be allowed to know that he was the source of the information. It is, however, unclear whether the information Bulger provided led to the downfall of the Italian Mafia (Time Black Mass: What it Got Right About Whitey Bulger & the FBI). In his trial, Bulger insisted he was not an informant, and his defense attorney argued that Connolly falsified information to make Bulger appear to be a valuable asset with the goal of protecting him from authorities. Bulger later says in a documentary with CNN that he used Connolly to get answers (Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger, CNN). A federal investigation actually showed that Connolly was responsible for falsifying some documents. It was also verified that Bulger was indeed a test subject for an LSD experiment.
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