Johnny Depp's best performance in five years.

Rating: 7/10 (19 February 2016)

Dark Shadow, Transcendence, The Lone Ranger, Into the woods Mortdecai-heck, even Pirate of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides are all related. And they related together as a list of mediocre to universally derided films that A-list actor Johnny Depp has headlined in the past few years. Truth be told, the actor always seem comfortable in eccentric style of acting: playing unserious characters with the strangest of make-ups and costumes. Not to take anything away from the actor, but he has featured in serious roles, which are a far-cry from his comfort zones. But when an audience becomes accustomed to your playful nature in the movies, then it's hard to take you serious even when you are trying to be-exactly the case in (Transcendence) is.
In Black Mass, Johnny plays James "Whitey" Bulger: a notorious Boston gangster from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. Boldly, I can say this is one Depp's finest performance in the last five years if not in his whole career. He takes the character and makes it his own. That "crime" coating fits his every being and personality. He plays it in such a way that you dread meeting the personality real life: maniacal, dangerous, cold and calculating-his operandi of taking out potential enemies in the film while playing the crime boss of Boston's underworld is riveting. More so because he stares coldly into the eyes of each kill. This is one of those set-ups where the attributes of the real life figure doesn't matter because the person acting it out in front of you has done the most evil to convince you of how far that crime figure is willing to go.
Then, in an opposite demeanour, he seems empathetic. There are several scenes throughout the film where Johnny's character partakes in mob activities and at the same time takes part in playing the father/son/husband/brother figure. In the role of a son, he imbibes loyalty and respect-the role of a father, moral teacher and understanding-the role of a husband appropriate non-violence bouts of naughtiness. But in the underworld, he is ruthless as ever. Basically, the film avoids delving further into the past life of Whitey Bulger like a biopic would-starting only after his freedom after his first incarceration. And from there build upwards into his collaboration with the FBI and how he uses this advantage to gain the upper hand in running his activities uninterrupted.
The old school vibe of the film is solid considering the disco era of the 1970s and the film is not like of those that spotlights on how crime figures live an extravagant lifestyle. In a way, the film is self contained-much more like in a neighbourhood, which only aims to follow a group of friends around: in this case Johnny's character and his entourage, half of whom he kills. The film gave me another perspective on the city of Boston. Severally, the camera narrows in on empty streets and quiet neighbourhoods in a kind of everybody knows everybody when the citizens are shown while promoting their traditional values. No threads are explored. Here, it is all about the character of Whitey and how ironically the city's crime boss is the older brother to the most powerful politician in the state: played by Benedict Cumberbatch: a fascinating story for audience who decide to research the story.
The FBI complicity in the crimes are told through the story of supporting character Billy Connolly (played by Joel Edgerton), much like how it happened real life. Furthermore, the supporting cast all get to shine in their own capacities. Dakota Johnson impresses playing Whitey's life-showing she has got range and could excel if given the right material to work with. Corey Stoll represents that no-nonsense lawyer willing to bring down the mob boss. And Benedict Cumberbatch is on that naive character side choosing to ignore his brother's crimes. For a crime drama, Black Mass is sharp, on-edge and spellbinding: an opportunity which Johnny Depp uses to remind us that he's still got talent.