Black Mass Movie Review

Black Mass (2015)

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Written by: Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth (screenplay), Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill (based on the book by)
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Adam Scott
Rated: R
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Plot
Based on the true story of Whitey Bulger, brother of a state senator and one of the most violent criminals in Boston who became a kingpin once he turned FBI informant.

Verdict
This wants to be a classic gangster film, but has nothing to say once you strip away the violence. Depp provides a good performance, though he often looks like a wax statue with facial prosthetics.
It depends.

Review
Johnny Depp is in a mobster movie again as Whitey Bulger, but Donnie Brasco (1997) this isn't. Bulger became a crime kingpin when he collaborated with the FBI, getting them to take down his adversaries. It's a conflict that Bulger dismisses. He calls the arrangement business, but kills his own men that snitch.

Bulger doesn't give up much information if any, with Agent Connelly (Joel Edgerton) falsifying reports. Connelly tries to make himself look good and Bulger benign, but that catches up to him. Connelly sold his childhood connection to Bulger as a way to get information, but Connelly is the one that ends up getting burned.

Black Mass - Eerie makeup, forgettable movie.

Benedict Cumberbatch is Bulger's senator brother, but that relationship isn't explored and Cumberbatch is underused.

The movie lacks style and tension. It establishes and reiterates that Bulger is ruthless. It throws his son in the mix to try and show his fierce love, but it's only a half-hearted attempt. This could be a really good film, but it lacks focus. Depp does a good job, but his piercing blue eyes and extensive makeup cause him to look more like a zombie.

If this movie was framed around Connelly, it would be much more interesting. Connelly is completely dirty. We don't know if he intended to be or if Bulger pulled a fast one and turned him. When it's discovered Connelly's reports are fraudulent and he tries to stammer his way out, you don't feel bad for him. I was eagerly anticipating his moment of reckoning. Connelly, shocked at what happened tells Bulger, "You used me." How can he be surprised when he faked informant reports for Bulger? He knew Bulger wasn't giving up information. For all the crimes we saw Bulger commit, he goes on the run. It's true to the story, but underwhelming for the movie.