Black Mass | Scott Cooper | September 18, 2015
After a handful of horrible movies and a billion dollars later at the box office, Johnny Depp has returned. Scott Cooper’s Black Mass signifies Depp’s return to the foray after several poorly reviewed films had us all questioning his integrity. Depp’s portrayal as Boston Kingpin James “Whitey” Bulger is his meatiest role in years and is certainly up there as one of the best of the year.
Black Mass is based on the 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. The film is a chronology of Bulger’s rise to power with the help of the FBI from 1975 until his arrest in 2012. The film features an ensemble of characters that play significant roles in Bulger’s life, most notably Joel Edgerton as FBI agent John Connelly and Benedict Cumberbatch as his younger brother Billy Bulger.
Scott Cooper is a fine director who does a good job of capturing the bleakness of South Boston. His problem has always been the pacing of his films and Black Mass suffers because of it. The screen time between Edgerton and Depp are nearly split in half, which was upsetting because whenever Depp was on screen, he was absolutely terrifying. With all the prosthetics and makeup, he looked like a vampire with a Southie accent. Due to the split between the two actors, it causes a divide. On one hand, you see Depp’s, calm collective, dark and menacing portrayal of a functioning psychopath. With Edgerton, you see an agent who so badly wishes he were a gangster growing more lavish with his thoughts and ideas on how to protect Bulger through the years. Edgerton’s portrayal of the former agent was too chewy. As the movie got deeper and deeper, his acting felt more forced, trying to perhaps one up Mr. Depp. As a viewer, this ruined the groove of the film and nullifies the film’s supporting roles.
That being said, the great cast they have gets wasted. Rory Cochrane, who plays Bulgers’ chief executioner, does an excellent job as the slimy second hand man. Jesse Plemons, most notably known for being Todd in Breaking Bad, undergoes a great length as Bulger’s protégé, Kevin Weeks. Plemons gained a ton of weight and slapped that Boston accent on. It was a very immersive job done by Plemons, and I wish he were in the film more. For a gangster film, it ran too short, and there was not enough character development between Bulger, and the ensemble cast. Cooper is wasteful of the cast he has, and ultimately the film suffers.
At first I thought this could perhaps reach the pantheon of Boston crime movies but I was disappointed with the outcome. The strange pacing and plotting of the movie brings it down several notches. One thing viewers can take from Black Mass is that Johnny Depp has found his form again and we as viewers can live with some excitement for his future.
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