If nobody saw it, would Black Mass still be another Depp disappointment?

Rating: 5/10 (20 September 2015)

"If nobody sees it, it didn't happen" - Whitey Bulger In the words of Whitey's devilish advise, I wish, for me, that Black Mass didn't happen. It's not that Black Mass is a bad movie, but it was just so dang boring. One of the year's best casts, stories, and overall opportunities for greatness is wasted with this dull, and minimalist gangster bore.
Black Mass, essentially is a canvas for Johnny Depp to re-thrive his recently deadbeat career. Depp, as one of the most infamous gangsters of all time, does not disappoint. The control and maturity of the performance is applaud worthy, and maybe award baiting during next year's Academy Awards. Along side him Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch and the rest of the cast gives terrific performances. Director Scott Cooper also gives a dark tone and effective camera work that is noteworthy. The screenwriters also give a moderately air tight story that I wouldn't call a weakness, despite the at times over dedicated dialogue. So what went wrong with Black Mass? Let us first get to some plot first.
Whitey Bulger's rise from small time gangster to FBI's most wanted man is a well known fact, but not a well known story. How he got there is the primary purpose of Black Mass, I think. When FBI agent John Connolly (Edgerton) moves back into his hometown, he reacquaints himself with a childhood friend who was "very good to him" growing up, Whitey. The problem here is that this is not a simple childhood reunion, due to Bulger being a motivated, psychopathic gangster, and Connolly being a morally corrupt FBI agent. Together Bulgar and Connolly get rid of each others competition and "rats" in order to rise up their respective ladders to a not so respectful end. Black Mass does not focus on the business side of Winter Hill Gang's operation, but instead almost solely on dealing with the FBI, competition, and Bulgar's own paranoia. Him and his goons kill quite a few people in this movie, and you can see most of the executions coming from far away. There is one stand out scene, taking place in a parking lot, that was the only excitement or suspense in this entire movie. Everything was predictable. Everything was boring. The story format was intriguing, especially at the beginning, with Bulger's colleagues informing against him, then flashing back to the crimes being explained. A really interesting development was the refrain from making Depp's Bulgar, "cool". One of his guys who was informing the FBI against him explained Bulger as "just a criminal". Cooper and the writers make sure to not commit the all too common mistake of having people leave the theater praising a serial killing gangster.
So what went wrong? The lack of cohesiveness of all the minimalist parts drowning the movie of all excitement or intrigue. Over control and nuance kills this movie. Black Mass did not compel me or bring me into this world of South Boston in the 70s and 80s. I knew I was watching a movie the whole time. While being well made and acted, Black Mass completely fails at being even remotely entertaining or immersive.