One of Johnny Depp's Best/Most Grounded Performances

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2016)

BLACK MASS is a valuable reminder that Johnny Depp doesn't need a zany costume and wacky mannerisms to perform. I suppose the last time I saw him in a more grounded role was probably THE RUM DIARY from 2011, and that was none too memorable. His performance as Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger is his best in many years. BLACK MASS tells the story of how FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) returned to Boston and convinced his superiors that an alliance with south Boston criminal Bulger would be vital in stamping out Italian mob activities in the area. Bulger begins acting as an informant to the FBI, providing useful information to flush out his competition while building his own criminal empire. Meanwhile, Connolly and his co-conspirator John Morris (David Harbour) work within the FBI to hide evidence of Bulger's activities, allowing him to thrive and providing the them a cushier life than is normally afforded government agents. BLACK MASS chronicles James Bulger's rise to power, the violence and murder that defined his reign as one of America's most dangerous criminals, and his eventual downfall when the FBI began to crack down on their internal corruption, sending Bulger on the run. BLACK MASS is a movie that won't leave you feeling too well, as there's hardly an honorable character in the mix and just about everyone is a villain, but it's engrossing in it's depiction of government corruption left to run wild and the shady individuals it allows to thrive.
When I first saw BLACK MASS, I found myself frustratingly distracted by two things: Depp's makeup as Bulger and Benedict Cumberbatch's Boston accent. Once you get accustomed to those, this movie is pretty cool. It's adapted from the book of the same name, written by the Boston Globe reporters who broke the story in 1997 about Bulger's association with the FBI. It's a dour portrait of one of America's most infamous gangsters, a man who spent more than a decade on the FBI's Most Wanted list. If Depp's performance is anything to go by, the man was not one to be messed with. With his thinning hair, piercing blue eyes, and predatory nature, Bulger struck fear into anyone unfortunate to have had dealings with him. He's a cold, calculating man with a free ticket for violence and murder to establish his empire thanks to the blind eye turned his way. Johnny Depp, who seems at first a weird choice for the role, knocks it out of the park as Bulger. He plays the man like a shark, calm and collected until he smells blood in the water. Then he snaps and you'd just better hope you're not on the receiving end. Depp's Bulger is the focal point of BLACK MASS so the movie really lives or dies based on his performance, and it's easy to forget the man under that hairpiece and contact lenses is the same man famous for eccentric performances like Jack Sparrow or the creepy Willy Wonka.
Depp is supported with a fantastic cast including Edgerton, Harbour, Kevin Bacon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Sarsgaard, Jesse Plemons and more. The movie is loaded with serious talent, bringing this story to life. Most of them are nothing more than background dressing, be it Bacon's role as Connolly's FBI superior or Cumberbatch's role as Bulger's brother/Massachusetts senator Billy. Neither does more than serve their limited role in the overall story, but it's great that even the smaller roles were handled with care. The city of Boston is just as much a character in the scope of this movie. Bulger was first and foremost a "Southie", a man of Irish heritage born and raised in south Boston. The community played a major role in Bulger's life. People knew him and were loyal to him. The movie makes a point to show Bulger's love for his hometown in a moment when he crosses paths with a little old woman from his past and insists on helping her get her groceries home. BLACK MASS tries to pin a human side to the seemingly inhuman gangster with some background into the death of his young (adopted?) son but any humanity he might have seems to fade when the chains are off and Bulger is given the chance to rule Boston's underworld. BLACK MASS is definitely a "feel-bad" movie but it's a good one. It'll blow your mind what the man was able to get away with but at least the movie closes on a positive note with the reminder that Bulger was eventually brought to justice to serve the rest of his life in prison.