A bit on the slow side

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2015)

Jimmy (Johnny Depp) and his associates form an Irish American crime syndicate. This film certainly doesn't glorify cold blooded murderous killers, quite the opposite. However what useful information Jimmy actually gives the FBI as an informant isn't entirely clear except one scene where John Connelly (Jimmy's FBI confident played by Joel Egerton) turns up to the office with a load of snaps of Jimmy's rival gangster clan hanging out. The film looks great but the audience never really get to know any of the characters. Towards the latter stages of the film Joel Egerton acts every scene as if he's on his fifth shot of whiskey which is mainly caused by the introduction of an FBI investigator keen to pursue Jimmy's criminal activities. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Jimmy's brother, who is also the state senator. After the perimeter's of the film have been established the pace slows and a scene by a beach that caused me to hope there would be a tsunami was a reminder the action was on gangster movie cruise control.