Former Associate Of James "Whitey" Bulger, Eric Schneider, Says Johnny Depp Is Spectacular In 'Black Mass'

Former associate of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger recently opened up about Johnny Depp's portrayal of the notorious mobster in "Black Mass" calling Depp's performance "spectacular."

Former gun and drug dealer who worked for Bulger, Eric Schneider, told People he had a hard time getting through the film and had to return to the cinema three times. Suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, Schneider said the portrayal of Bulger was very life-like and that it took him some time to get adjusted to the unfolding storyline onscreen.

Having been skeptical about Depp's role as Bulger, Schneider admits that he is impressed with the "Mortdecai" star's acting prowess. He said he did not think anybody could play Bulger, but added "Johnny Depp did a spectacular job, and captured a lot of his mannerisms."

Of the many facets to Bulger's character, Schneider said his split personality had been captured spot-on by the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" actor. He said, "Whitey was this guy who could be jovial and laughing with you one second, and then, like flipping a switch, he'd lose it. You might say one word, not knowing it was wrong, and it would just set him off."  

Schnedider further commended Depp by saying he did "a pretty damn good job capturing this man and what he was capable of."  

While the film has received mixed reviews, there are still some who feel differently about Depp's performance. Bulger's right-hand man Kevin Weeks told the Daily Beast, the storyline for the film has been largely invented.

Week's character in the movie is played by Jesse Plemons of "Breaking Bad" fame. For Weeks the movie is nothing but a "fantasy." However, he did admit to the publication, "we really did kill those people" but said the movie is chronologically inaccurate.

The former gangster is the author of the true crime memoir which is a bestseller "Brutal: My Life In Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob." He claims many of the scenes in the movie did not happen and that Bulger was violent much before his son's death as a pose to the movie's implication that it was the opposite.