Whitey Bulger Says 'Black Mass' Is "Pure Fiction"

Though the critical response surrounding last year's Whitey Bulger biopic Black Mass was relatively varied, one emotionally invested critic gave a decisive thumbs down to Johnny Depp's not-quite-a-comeback film. Unreleased photos revealing Bulger's handwritten thoughts on Black Mass are now being sold by a Los Angeles-based memorabilia dealer, Page Six reports. The photos, 22 in all, were previously in the possession of someone who was reportedly just "one step removed from the prisoner who was Bulger’s protector in jail."

"This movie is pure fiction!" Bulger allegedly wrote after seeing images from the production, adding that he considered the film an "anti Whitey movie" controlled by Boston Globe reporters. "Once I looked just like [Depp] does now in the movie," Bulger admits in one inscription, later bragging about how he paid two FBI agents to keep him well-informed of any possible interference. "This went on for years," Bulger reveals in the images. "We got information and they got money."

Depp reportedly made multiple attempts to make contact with Bulger, who allegedly made a habit of ripping the actor's letters to shreds. "Johnny Depp might as well have been playing the Mad Hatter all over again as far as James Bulger is concerned," Bulger's attorney told the Daily Beastlast year. "Hollywood greed is behind the rush to portray my client."

"Pure fiction" or not, Black Mass ultimately pulled in just over $60 million at the U.S. box office.