Perfect 'biopic'? Or teeming with sub-genre pastiches and a protracted plot line? – I'll let you decide.

Rating: 7/10 (29 November 2015)

The classy yet ultra violent gangster biopic, which has become something of a cult classic of late, is fortunate enough to make yet another appearance with the release of Scott Cooper's Black Mass. As an aficionado of the sub-genre, I eagerly anticipated a familiar assemblage of voice-overs, a dynamic non-linear narrative and a reproachable yet oddly admirable focaliser who, come the denouement, is stripped of his political clout and sent to prison to answer for his crimes. Suffice to say I was not disappointed by what I saw. Despite getting a little lost among its midriff, as does so often happen when filming an episodic multi-decade flick, Black Mass holds up as both a confident and dynamic feature with an interesting political backdrop in Bulger's IRA relations. Following his 2013 thriller; Out of the Furnace, Cooper brings us yet another all-star cast in which Johnny Depp's sterling performance steals the show. Depp's stylish yet chilling rendition of James Bulger marks his return to the big screen after what has arguably been a series of clunkers, the likes of which include Mortdecai and Transcendence. Moreover, Depp's take on Boston's unlawful kingpin 'Whitey' Bulger heralds his reappearance in the biopic style and in a role of some familiarity; playing the charismatic John Dillinger in Public Enemy and Joseph D. Pistone or 'Donnie' (his alias) in Donnie Brasco.
For my part, Black Mass seems to be a picture inspired by the Neo-Noirs of the early 1980's. Whether or not I would classify Black Mass as a Neo-Noir, or even a Neo Neo-Noir I am ambivalent, however Scott Cooper's own taste for the stylish Hollywood crime dramas of the time, such as John Huston's Neo-Noir Fat City, have certainly rubbed off on his own film making ideology. The conflicted antihero (Cooper), the striking use of light and shadow, and the low-key lighting are all elements playing homage to the style. Yet Cooper's steady cinematography make it difficult to deem the film a definite Neo-Noir, as some of the distinctive visual elements attributed to the style rely upon unusual camera placement and movement. Rather it makes the film seem a bit more like a documentary; much to the distaste of some viewers. It can be said that Cooper presents us a sense of verisimilitude worthy of a 'biopic', yet wrapped in a Neo-Noir like shell, reflective of his own work as a director and an appreciator of film. Although arguably it is too early in his filmmaking career to tell, Scott Cooper seems to be becoming an auteur, whose work and influences reflect real life themes and events. Both Black Mass and Crazy heart, his 2009 musical drama in which he produced, wrote and directed, are testament to this dogma.
The sense of gravitas ascribed to Black Mass in presenting a more biographic interpretation of South Boston's unholy alliance, is oddly unique and charming. Black Mass exposes us to the cracks that could so easily infiltrate Federal Law Enforcement agencies in the United States during the late 1900's. Personally, I have not seen a film with a better take on the dark side of American community values since Sidney Lumet's Serpico, in which all but one cop in the New York Police Department succumb to the temptations of the job and are twisted by the system's corruption. I remark the charm of Cooper's work because it has become something of a platitude recently to retrofit the 'gangster biopic' with excessive hyperrealism and the natural propensities of its directors. Whilst this can be a good thing, providing an entertaining experience for the viewer, it can sometimes take the 'bio' out of the 'biopic'. Cooper's Black Mass stays true to the sub-genre's codes and in some ways is an example of a perfect 'biopic', with a neat and intriguing blend of classic gangster movie drama and an intimate Bulger biographical experience.
Nevertheless, Cooper's depiction of South Boston's crime syndicate is not completely beyond reproach, and for some moviegoers you can be sure that the slow-moving theatrical cut (which is roughly 45 minutes shorter than Cooper's director's cut) will be subject to audience appraisal, critiqued for being a little too realistic a portrait of Bulger's criminal empire. Several other reviews have been quick to denounce Cooper's Black Mass as not only protracted, but largely an imitation of Martin Scorsese's own oeuvre, and I wouldn't totally disagree with this assertion. Typical genre archetypes and a predictable plot line all make the film seem rather unoriginal, and Black Mass's John Connolly, who seems to be merely a more callow pastiche of The Departed's Colin Sullivan, is testament to Cooper's imitation.
Overall, Scott Cooper's Black Mass offers us a stylishly dark package under the umbrella of an intriguing picaresque gangster biopic, in which the collaborative effort between leading cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi's and musical producer Tom Holkenborg stand out profusely. Masanobu Takayanagi's moody photography and Tom Holkenborg's tense musical choreography act in congruity, injecting even more insipid and sullen imagery into the disturbing milieu that is South Boston. But even if that doesn't quite do it for you, how can you turn down Cooper's all-star cast! The likes of which I have not seen for quite some time; Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Adam Scott, Joel Edgerton, Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard it seems an endless list to which the movie belonged to Johnny Depp. It is a role that he has had some experience dealing with in the past and it is within this confident framework that Depp does his deepest work in a very long time. Yet whilst Cooper's rendition of James 'Whitey' Bulger and John Connolly's fall from power will certainly win the vote of those looking for a complete 'biographical crime thriller', alas it's run time of 122 minutes, comprising of what some may call sporadic scene jumping, an episodic narrative structure and an amalgam of crime genre pastiches, is certain to question some viewers loyalties.