Review: Depp leads a sermon of murder, mayhem in excellent ‘Black Mass’

Posted on September 25, 2015

By MARK VIOLA

Since longtime fugitive and former Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger’s capture and subsequent conviction on 31 counts, including complicity in 11 murders, there has been a race to make a movie about his life. Two high-profile projects were announced, but so far, only one has produced fruit, that being “Black Mass,” directed by Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart,” “Out of the Furnace”) and starring Johnny Depp as Bulger.

Having now seen that movie, I can say there is no need for another. “Black Mass” is filled with award-worthy performances and manages to tell a compelling story with fascinating characters without glamorizing the events being depicted. Equally important, the film tells a story spanning 20 years and does so while keeping the pacing even and coherent, picking and showcasing the moments necessary to keep the action and narrative flowing. “Black Mass” is one of the first widely released Oscar-bait pictures of 2015 and it certainly lives up to that moniker as one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, with Depp’s performance ranking up there with Ian McKellen’s from “Mr. Holmes” at the top of 2015 so far.

We really have to start the discussion of “Black Mass” with Depp, who easily turns in his best performance in years. After so many quirky, outlandish characters, Depp returns to earth in a gritty, grounded and terrifying turn, emoting through thick layers of makeup and completely changing his voice in the process. Amazing seems an understatement, and there are moments he creates that are just as terrifying as any horror film.

But while Depp and Bulger are the focus of “Black Mass,” Joel Edgerton’s turn as FBI agent Connolly is just as crucial to the film’s structure, which is really the parallel stories of both men. In Connolly, at least in the way he is portrayed in the movie, we have an FBI agent more concerned with personal advancement than stopping crime. His deal with Bulger is a way to hit the Italians, but as he tells Bulger right after sealing their deal, he has no interest in “saving” South Boston and in fact he likes it just the way it is. Watching his descent from opportunist to facilitator to accomplice is fascinating and masterfully portrayed by Edgerton, and he should definitely be in the running for a Supporting Actor nomination.

“Black Mass” is a superb film featuring great performances and a fascinating “too strange to be fiction” story about of the nation’s most infamous mobsters.

The film is rated R for brutal violence, language throughout, some sexual references and brief drug use.

(This is a shortened version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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