MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (9/18/15): BLACK MASS
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| "Yeah ... I don't do skinny jeans. That was called me in the 80s - you gotta problem with that?!" Whitey Bulger (Johnny Depp) stands tall as judge, jury and executioner in a scene from director Scott Cooper's drama BLACK MASS. Credit: 2015 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., CCP Black Mass Film Holdings, LLC, Black Mass Holdings, LLC. and Ratpac-Dune Entertainment LLC. |
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Johnny Depp, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, Adam Scott, Peter Sarsgaard, Rory Cochrane, Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, David Harbour and Jesse Plemmons
WRITER(S): William Nicholson and Simon Beaufov
DIRECTOR(S): Scott Coooper
60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): James Bulger (Johnny Depp) – better known amongst his adversaries and the police as "Whitey" – was once a small time South Boston (or "Southie" as the locals call it) hood who was the head of a group known as the Winter Hill Gang. Embroiled in a war with an Italian rival gang, Bulger eventually found himself on the FBI's radar. And that's where FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) comes into the story.
A fellow Southie, Connolly is also embroiled in a war against the Italian mafia, which is why he offers to cut Bulger a deal: Work as a FBI informant and his crimes will stay off the FBI's plate as long as he doesn't kill anyone. Now, if you were a criminal and had the FBI basically in your hip pocket as an ally, what do you think you'd do in Bulger's position?
Black Mass gives you in answer in showing how he became the most notorious gangster in the history of not only the city that bills itself as the "Spirit of Massachusetts, Spirit of America" but American history ...
A fellow Southie, Connolly is also embroiled in a war against the Italian mafia, which is why he offers to cut Bulger a deal: Work as a FBI informant and his crimes will stay off the FBI's plate as long as he doesn't kill anyone. Now, if you were a criminal and had the FBI basically in your hip pocket as an ally, what do you think you'd do in Bulger's position?
Black Mass gives you in answer in showing how he became the most notorious gangster in the history of not only the city that bills itself as the "Spirit of Massachusetts, Spirit of America" but American history ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who like gangster movies; anyone intrigue by tales of crime and punishment; conspiracy theorists; Johnny Depp fans who have been waiting awhile for him to do something with teeth; rappers and aspiring criminals
WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Depp fans who enjoy him in lighter, family-friendly fare; people who think gangster movies glorify and/or celebrate violence/the gangster lifestyle; people who hate movies with scenes depicting violence against women
SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A film that is sure to remind people why Depp is a three time Academy Award nominee, Black Mass pretty much delivers everything one has come to want and expect for a gangster film in a very entertaining fashion.
Depp's performance is fully ensnared in showcasing the various sides of Bulger, a man who cares deeply about his family but can turn at a moments notice and order/execute your execution as many would order a sandwich at a restaurant. It's a solid turn with nuanced cues to draw you in, much in the same fashion the real Bulger likely did to get away with murder (literally) for so long. Black Mass really is Depp's movie to shine with the rest of the cast acting as a strong cast of supporting characters, his interactions with Edgerton serving to only exemplify his manipulation skills further. One could argue that Black Mass is more about a man with an undying loyalty to someone he saw as his friend who merely saw him as a patsy, but take away Bulger and you've got about half an interesting film as you do with him.
Other than that, there's not much more you need to know about the film as many of the details are ones you might expect: Yes, Bulger is dangerous man who, with FBI cover, acted in a reprehensible fashion. Much like fictional gangsters such as Tony Soprano, he cared deeply for those closest to him at the same time as he committed many of these acts as other standard gangsters tropes (deaths of loved ones, disloyalty, etc.) weighed deeply upon his psyche. And of course, the sheer viciousness and cunning Bulger displays (or more accurately, Depp artfully displays as the real life criminal) is utterly and inherently compelling to keep you watching from start to finish under fantastic camerawork from director Scott Cooper. It's a well-paced piece, one that explores a slightly different aspect of crime when it basically has the federal government's approval and great study of what happens when it all comes tumbling down.
Those factors are likely to make Black Mass pure box office gold.
Depp's performance is fully ensnared in showcasing the various sides of Bulger, a man who cares deeply about his family but can turn at a moments notice and order/execute your execution as many would order a sandwich at a restaurant. It's a solid turn with nuanced cues to draw you in, much in the same fashion the real Bulger likely did to get away with murder (literally) for so long. Black Mass really is Depp's movie to shine with the rest of the cast acting as a strong cast of supporting characters, his interactions with Edgerton serving to only exemplify his manipulation skills further. One could argue that Black Mass is more about a man with an undying loyalty to someone he saw as his friend who merely saw him as a patsy, but take away Bulger and you've got about half an interesting film as you do with him.
Other than that, there's not much more you need to know about the film as many of the details are ones you might expect: Yes, Bulger is dangerous man who, with FBI cover, acted in a reprehensible fashion. Much like fictional gangsters such as Tony Soprano, he cared deeply for those closest to him at the same time as he committed many of these acts as other standard gangsters tropes (deaths of loved ones, disloyalty, etc.) weighed deeply upon his psyche. And of course, the sheer viciousness and cunning Bulger displays (or more accurately, Depp artfully displays as the real life criminal) is utterly and inherently compelling to keep you watching from start to finish under fantastic camerawork from director Scott Cooper. It's a well-paced piece, one that explores a slightly different aspect of crime when it basically has the federal government's approval and great study of what happens when it all comes tumbling down.
Those factors are likely to make Black Mass pure box office gold.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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