Black Mass was nightmarish. It took the gangster genre to the depths of insanity. A great powerful movie. I love this movie!

Rating: 8/10 (21 September 2015)

This true crime drama makes for a very well-rounded film. Black Mass shows what happens when you make a pact with the Devil. Directed by Scott Cooper & based on the 2001 non-fiction book, Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance between the FBI and the Irish Mob, by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill. The film tells the true story of James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp), one of most notorious gangster in American history -- and his relationship with FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) as an informant for the FBI. Can John Connolly control Bulger or will Bulger gain the upper hand? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling the movie too much, I like seeing, the manipulation of the FBI as a means to eradicate crime rivals for control of the Boston underworld. It made for an interesting intense watch. Lots of brutal action, throughout the film. Not for the weak hearted. Johnny Depp is just wicked good as Whitney Bulger. As much, as his make-up work is somewhat distracting, I like how Johnny Depp was able to show a lot of range of emotions with this character. Any other person would probably, play this crucial role, a little way cheesy; with over the top, stereotypical one-dimensional evil, acting. While, the film doesn't shy away from showing Whitey's evil sins, I like how Depp was able to show Bulger's more human side, with the material, given to him. Scenes with his mother, wife & kids, were really necessary to show, that there is a real person, within the criminal mythic. You really do feel a lot of emotional, through his performance. You feel the heartbreak, when the family man side of him, really dies. Don't fear, the movie wasn't going to romanticize him, so needn't worry. It was just nice to see, a bit of that. Scott Cooper was able to show, also Bulger's more Machiavellian side. This movie shows that James Whitney Bulger could teach Satan some new tricks. I just wish, the movie establish more of a connection with his younger brother Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch) & him. I really didn't see, much conflict or stalks, between them. Anyways, Benedict Cumberbatch still, did a great role, even if it was short-lived. Sadly, John Connolly felt more like his brother, than Billy was, in the movie. Edgerton and Depp play wonderfully off each other. Connolly was a great character study that really show, how heroes, can easily be corrupt, when they want power. He has the most tragic of fates. Joel Edgerton is wonderful in this role. Also, his Boston accent, pretty damn shot on. The rest of the actors were pretty alright for the most part. I just didn't like how, some of them, are always being typecast. Good examples are Juno Temple as the prostitution, Deborah Hussey & Jesse Plemons as the criminal, Kevin Weeks. I kinda want them to step up, their game. The best of the minor supporting actors, had to be Kevin Bacon as Charles McGuire. While, his character is a composite of several Boston FBI bosses, he had some of the best harsh verbal exchanges. It was fun, watching him, play off, with Edgerton's character. I'm glad, they cut Sienna Miller as Catherine Grieg from the film, because her scenes weren't really needed. I'm also, glad, they didn't show, too much of senior-citizen, Whitney Bugler, because, the makeup work for age 40's Bugler is outrageous, enough. I glad, they kept, most of the film in the late 1970s/early 1980s. It would be, way too jarring for the film to have longer scenes in 1995 or 2011. For the most part, the movie is pretty accuracy historically. There are few things, worth nitpicking, like not going into much details of how Bulger was able to escape, how he was capture, and how his criminal operation works. Another thing, the movie didn't explain, is why certain people were kill off. I had to do, research on my own, to figure out, who and why John Callahan (Bill Camp) had a hit on him. The movie could had, been better if only the movie dug deeper. I wish, the movie would mention more of Bulger's LSD testing days, the Killeen-Mullen War, or even the Lady of the Dunes rumors. Still, the movie does have good pacing for what it is. I was never bored. While, the movie is grim. It does have some semi-funny moments with its strong language and mean-spirited comments. Some critics have accuse the movie, for trying too hard to be, like 1990's GoodFellas, but I rarely see any similarities, besides the dinner table scene. It didn't borrow, much of anything from Goodfellas. This movie is way more intense and scary than any of Martin Scorsese's gangster films. If any, Scorsese's 2006 film The Departed borrow, way too heavy on Bulger's exploits. While, yes, the plot of the movie is adapted from the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, but you can clearly see many similarities to that film with this. Overall: This gripping and unique crime drama about the duality of undercover work, works. A must-watch. I do recommended.