Review: Depp steals the show in ‘Black Mass’
Synopsis:
“Black Mass” is based on the true story of South Boston’s most infamous criminal, James “Whitey” Bulger (played by Johnny Depp). FBI agent John Donnelly (Joel Edgerton) seeks help from Bulger to take down an Italian Mafia family reigning over Bulger’s turf. Bulger gets granted immunity to become an informant with the bureau, while still having freedom to run his business on the streets.
“Black Mass” is a film that features Depp at his best. Even though the movie was packed with an all-star cast, Depp still manages to steal the entire show. I also felt that Edgerton and Cumberbatch do a fine job in supporting roles. Director Scott Cooper does a great job introducing you to James “Whitey” Bulger but has a hard time translating Bulger’s life onto the screen. Cooper sacrifices the pacing to stay true to Bulger’s story, causing the movie to feel like a bit of a roller coaster that doesn’t quite execute a great ending for the audience.
What Worked:
As anyone can expect in a movie telling the story of a mobster you can expect a lot of violence and gore and boy does this movie deliver. One of the things that impressed me with this film was the special effects and makeup, not only to make the killings look realistic but to transform Depp into dead-eyed Bulger. As I mentioned before, this movie was packed with elite acting throughout the film and Depp delivered an Academy Award-winning performance. I’m not sure anyone but Depp could have pulled off this character and even with the fantastic supporting cast, without Depp’s Bulger this movie would’ve most likely fallen apart.
What Didn’t Work:
The one thing that bugged me was the ending. For how much happened with the building of the climax the movie could’ve faded to black and it would’ve had the same effect on me. Right when the story gets good the movie ends. There were also a couple plot holes throughout the film that involves a couple deaths that impact Bulger’s life that they don’t even get in depth about. One of the deaths is a cliffhanger till the end of the movie. The movie states that Bulger turns from small town mob to a kingpin, but the movie never really shows how that happens. The movie also has a few pace changes that makes it hard to stay fully engaged. What bugged me about the pace changes was that the movie was slow to begin with and it seemed like the director tried making it fast paced when he could but it was soon back to a plodding pace, causing some of the action scenes to be fairly forgettable.
Despites the few flaws and pacing problems with this movie it is still well worth seeing, on the big screen or at home. Depp gives a killer performance, reminding us of what an exceptional character actor he has become. I give this Boston mob flick a wicked 7.5 out of 10.
Nate Gomes and Dylan McMullen are friends and co-workers who have worked as local television videographers, producers and editors for more than seven years. If you have any questions or comments about their movie reviews, you can contact them through email at watchmenmoviereviews@gmail.com.
Black Mass
Movie rating: 7.5/10
Cast: Johnny Depp as James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, Joel Edgerton as John Connolly, Benedict Cumberbatch as Billy Bulger, Dakota Johnson as Lindsey Cyr, Kevin Bacon as Charles McGuire, Peter Sarsgaard as Brian Halloran, Jesse Piemons as Kevin Weeks, Rory Cochrane as Steve Flemmi, David Harbour as John Morris, Adam Scott as Robert Fitzpatrick
This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Review: Depp steals the show in ‘Black Mass’."