Eh, Not Bad for Ten Clams

Rating: 5/10 (12 October 2015)

As gangster films go, you could do worse, but that being said you could also do better. Admittedly, what makes this film most interesting is Johnny Depp, and if it hadn't been for him the film would be yet another formulaic gangster movie, with all the same clichés and the same basic plot as countless others. Which it is of course, but its just slightly more interesting.
Depp's performance is good because it is unusual for his career. In my opinion Blow was both a better film and better acted, but here Depp plays to his age, which is new, and he does it very well.
Depp's character, James Bulger, was a homicidal psychopath who once stole a poor mans winning lottery ticket so he could add a few extra million dollars to his million dollars. Quite why we should have a film that glamorises that I don't know, but I digress. The point is that Depps performance is so charismatic that we find ourselves rooting for this scumbag until the very end.
Depp's acting aside there are some good moments, but those moments are spread thinly between gangster caricatures and, to be honest, an obvious plot. Its well written, adequately directed and generally strong in most areas but it lacks that special something that would make it deserve to be remembered.