Battle of the Bulger

Rating: 8/10 (10 October 2015)

As a man who knows his crime movies, I was very stoked to see this. The advertising campaign made this movie look like the cinematic event of year. Everyone got so excited, that they got disappointed when they realized that it wasn't another Goodfellas. Let's be honest, how many movies are? It was really never meant to be in the first place. The Whitey Bulger story is something much slower, creepier and slimier. Black Mass is the Whitey Bulger story, as it really went down. With everything considered, it is nothing short of a great crime movie. At the center of it all is a tour-de-force performance by Johnny Depp. It's the best performance he's done in more than a decade. He has the Best Actor nominations on lock. Every time he is on screen, you cannot keep your eyes off of him. He's fascinating, and yet absolutely revolting. Other than Depp, we have a so-so performance by Joel Edgarton, and a surprisingly stellar performance by Benedict Cumberbatch as Billy Bulger. It's as violent as any great gangster movie, and just as well shot. I think it's not to be missed, as long as you remind yourself that this isn't going to be Scorsese.