I'm not sure if many people are aware that Jack Nicholson's deliciously unhinged turn as South Boston Irish American Mob Boss Frank Costello in Scorsese's 2006 gangster flick The Departed was inspired by the real life boss of South Boston, Whitey Bulger.
It's a pretty amazing story really. He began co-operating with the Feds in the seventies after an FBI agent from the same tough Southie projects as him convinced him it could serve his criminal purposes. In one of those 'where did the lines get blurred' situations, the lawman and the gangster become so entwined they were basically partners. Each helped the other progress in their chosen profession.
Anyway, Whitey has been on the run since 1995, when he got wind of a federal indictment coming down. He was the King of organised crime in Boston for the better part of 3 decades and is implicated in at least 19 murders. Second to only Osama Bin Laden on the FBI's top ten most wanted list, the reward for info that leads to his capture is now up to 2 millie.
The Fed who helped him out for all those years is now behind bars, but it's hard to believe that there wouldn't be someone still working at the FBI who wouldn't really want Whitey to turn up and start telling stories.
Shout to Weez for the hook-up.
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