Black Mass is Phenomenal in Every Way

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2015)

I was expecting some great things from this movie and did it ever deliver. This movie is excellent in every way I can think of. I literally have no complaints about this movie so this whole thing is just going to be me talking about how much I enjoyed this film. Scott Cooper directed this piece of excellent cinema and I have to say that I'm really starting to respect this guy. Out of the Furnace and Crazy Heart were both favorites of mine when they came out but this movie is probably my favorite of his yet. I'm a little biased though since I love a good gangster flick.
The story of this movie centers around the life of James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) in the late seventies to the late eighties. There's a lot more to the entire Whitey Bulger story but this movie tells about his relationship with the FBI and his increasingly violent actions after the death of his son. John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) is an up and coming agent in the FBI who has been given an edict to take down the Italian Mafia in Boston. It just so happens that Whitey is trying to protect his own turf from the Mafia so Connolly makes a deal with Bulger to gain information about the Mafia from Bulger in exchange for certain guarantees from the FBI. This turns out to be a somewhat one sided relationship as Whitey works to solidify his own power base and make more money than anyone in his group thought they could ever make. Bulger's reign of terror includes drugs, murder, stealing, and even providing weapons to terrorists, all while using his informant status with the FBI to protect himself.
There are a lot of great actors in this movie but let's start with the obvious. Johnny Depp absolutely nails the role of Whitey Bulger. This guy is terrifying, dramatic, and even funny at times. The physical transformation is impressive but I forgot that it was actually Johnny Depp after a while. His interactions and everything just yell that this is not a man to be trusted. It's also nice to see Depp take on a more serious role after some of the goofier movies he's been doing. Don't get me wrong, I love goofy movies but Depp has some real talent but it's usually used on pirate or Burton films and it's just nice to see him take on a more serious role that reminds us just how good Depp really is. I'm also happy to see that Joel Edgerton is once again knocking it out of the park with his portrayal of Connolly. It's a little sad how much this guy is willing to do for Whitey, especially since he's an FBI agent. He has this weird obsession with Bulger and ends up becoming basically an active participant in many of his crimes. He doesn't show up and kill people but the information he provides to Whitey basically makes him an accessory to murder. Edgerton really impressed me earlier this year with The Gift and is quickly becoming one of my new favorite actors.
There are so many great actors in this film that I know I'm going to miss a few but I"m going to try to mention the ones that stood out to me. Jesse Plemons is great as Whitey's muscle and enforcer Kevin Weeks and went through quite a bit of a physical transformation himself. He nails the voice and actions perfectly. He's also a Breaking Bad alum which means I'm a bit biased but he really does do a fantastic job. Corey Stoll also gives us a great performance as the stand up Prosecutor Fred Wyshak and it's entertaining to see him put Connolly in his place. Rory Cochrane impressed me with his portrayal of another Bulger enforcer named Steve Flemmi. This guy does some truly horrendous stuff in this film but you get the feeling that he's not happy about what he's doing or what's happening around him. I hate to cut this short since there are so many great performances in this movie but I could probably write one of these on just the actors.
Boston is portrayed as being a bleak and dangerous place and it works perfectly for the narrative the film is going for. The area that so many of these characters was raised in helps us to see how they became the way they are. Even the city seems frightening at times. The music is moody and sets the scenes perfectly. There really isn't anything to complain about.
In my opinion, this movie is absolutely phenomenal and I can't think of any problems that the film has. If I really sat here and tried to nitpick at it then I might be able to come up with something but the movie is just too good for me to sit here and do that. I have a felling we'll be hearing about this movie again come Oscar season. Please, do yourselves a favor and watch this movie. You definitely won't regret it.