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Film Review: "Black Mass"

Image via IMDB.com

Over the past few years, Johnny Depp has been involved in movies that someone with that much talent should never have even considered (Mortdecai, Transcendence, The Lone Ranger, and Dark Shadows to name a few). He was fine in Into the Woods and his cameo in 21 Jump Street was fun, but gone was the man who had given us exceptional performances in movies such as Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, and the original Pirates of the Caribbean. But seeing him portray James "Whitey" Bulger in Black Mass more than makes up for the multiple times we were disappointed by a Johnny Depp movie. If this is not the best performances of his career, it is pretty damn close to it. He's that good.

**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**

With a stellar cast that includes Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Kevin Bacon, among others, Black Mass tells the true story of one of the most notorious gangsters in American history, James Bulger. The story is narrated by multiple of Bulger's old partners as they are confessing to all of the crimes they committed while under the watch of Bulger. The story is told in a very cohesive manner and by the end of it, we understand how Bulger came to rule the streets of Boston.

Depp does a fantastic job of showing the multiple layers of who Bulger is. While he is incredibly brutal, we also see how fiercely he loved his family and you can't help but feel bad for him when he loses his son and later his mother. Depp is also good at giving off what I can best describe as a sort of quiet intensity. What I mean by that is that even when he isn't out being a killer, just looking at his eyes makes you feel terrified of what this man is capable of. Even when he's seemingly calm, he can flip to outrage as if by simply flicking on a switch. This happens multiple times throughout the movie and it is amazing to watch. I always love when I'm watching a movie and an actor is able to completely transform himself to the point where you never think of the actor, only the character. It's not an easy thing to pull off, yet Depp was able to without much trouble.

Depp isn't the only one who gives us a great performance, however. Joel Edgerton is a guy who has been more and more impressive every time that I see him. Here he plays Special Agent John Connolly, who was the man responsible with bringing Bulger in to the FBI as an informant. He starts off as a good family man, but as the story progresses, we see that his real loyalty lies with Bulger because of the past the two share together. That is not to say that he didn't care about his wife, he just seemed to be unable to balance the two and ultimately his loyalty to Bulger essentially cost him everything. Connolly was a complicated person and Edgerton was able to portray that beautifully.

This was a fascinating story and I hope people go out and see it because it deserves it. It starts a little slow but the story intensifies more and more as it goes on. There is a scene between Depp and Julianne Nicholson (who plays Joel Egerton's wife) that will make your skin crawl because of how disturbing it is. Dakota Johnson is another person who surprised me, and much like Depp, she is able to completely transform herself. It wasn't until I began to write this review that I realized who she was. Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Billy Bulger, was very good as the younger brother of James but I wish he would have been utilized more and that they had developed their relationship more because you can hardly tell that the two are supposed to be siblings. Overall though, this is a terrific movie that has a very good shot at receiving a Best Picture nomination at the upcoming Oscars. Don't miss out on watching this. 9/10 is the score that I give it.


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