Black Mass (2015)- BFI London Film Festival 2015

Review

122min

Genre:    Fact-based, Crime, Drama

Director: Scott Cooper

Cast:      Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch…more

Writers:  Mark Mallouk, Jez Butterworth , Dick Lehr… and more

Johnny Depp stars as notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, whose position as an FBI informant and brother of a Massachusetts state senator gave him virtual carte blanche to commit shocking crimes on the way to becoming a Boston crime Kingpin in the 70’s & 80’s, in director Scott Cooper’s (Crazy Heart) take on the shocking true story of one of the most infamous criminals in American history.

Depp’s penchant for personal transformation is taken to a new level with one of his most accomplished performances ever, and certainly his most chilling, as Irish/American crime boss and borderline sociopath “Whitey” Bulger. His physical transformation is striking enough but primarily serves to convincingly put Depp into the disturbing mindspace of a character that might seem exaggerated or one dimensional, until you learn about the real man himself.

Since its September US release, ‘Black Mass’ has garnered mixed reviews in part at least to people’s expectations of a “gangster” drama and the fact that this film doesn’t exactly toe that line. The pace is often slow and deliberate with scenes of character drama and near-forensic storytelling broken up by graphic violence and the odd darkly comic moments.

A major factor is also the fact that ‘Black Mass’ is not a gangster drama from the Martin Scorsese school of filmmaking, i.e. violently flamboyant and often comedic which builds to an ultimate payoff where loose ends are tied up, which has resulted in some of the greatest films ever made including ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘The Departed’, itself loosely based on the “Whitey” Bulger story.

Instead this film is more a more nuanced study of character and society and a faithful representation of a real & recent story based on the book by Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill.

For us the result is not a lesser Gangster film but simply a different kind of “Mob” drama and more of a real-life Crime tragedy that’s no less engrossing. Black Mass is a fascinating and dark exploration of corruption and loyalty, a frank look at the tribal ties that often extend from local criminals to law enforcement and beyond, and a different angle on the timeless concept of “Honour Among Thieves”.

The Bottom Line…

Boasting a standout performance from Johnny Depp and flawless supporting cast led by Joel Edgerton, ‘Black Mass’ is a more measured Gangster drama than you might expect but no less enthralling, a fascinating depiction of one of the dark corners of recent American history.

Black Mass is out in UK Cinemas on the 27th of November.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Donnie Brasco (1997)

True story of FBI agent Joe Pistone who infiltrated the New York mafia in the 1970’s under the alias “Donnie Brasco” and helped to bring down a crime ring while the lines between real life and his mob persona became blurred.

Directed by Mike Newell and starring Johnny Depp, Al Pacino and Michael Madsen among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.