BLACK MASS review

In Black Mass, Johnny Depp sheds the quirkiness that has marked much of his work for the last decade, and creates a deeply disturbing portrait of James “Whitey” Bulger, Boston’s most notorious crime boss…

Black Mass focuses on Bulger during the 1970s through to the 1990s. During that time, Bulger had his hands in much of Boston’s major crimes, but he was able to hide in plain sight due to his relationship with the FBI.

Bulger worked as an informant for agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), who grew up with Bulger in South Boston. Connolly feels a loyalty to the man who looked after him in his youth. In exchange for aiding the FBI, Bulger is given carte blanche to basically do whatever he wants, this includes brutally murdering anyone who stands in his way.

As Bulger, Depp doesn’t fall back on the idiosyncrasies that have become his staple in recent years. This is a chilling, character that has the power to unsettle with a simple cold, remorseless stare.

The scene in which Bulger asks for “the family secret” recipe to a steak marinade is an instant classic that recalls Joe Pesci’s “How am I funny?” scene from Goodfellas.

In the next scene, Bulger confronts Connolly’s wife (Julianne Nicholson) for skipping dinner with a clearly false claim of being sick. He rubs his hands across her face to test for a fever and checks if her throat is swollen. It is a moment that makes your skin crawl.

As good as Depp is, Bulger doesn’t really change. He’s a psychopath from the beginning. Depp gives Bulger moments of, if not humanity, decency, however fleeting in his interactions with his son (Luke Ryan) and mother (Mary Klug). When he loses both of them, a twisted sociopath becomes even more of one.

Edgerton is in many respects the main character, in that Connolly has a story arc. He starts out as a hungry FBI agent who sees an opportunity to advance his career, while also staying loyal to his roots. He becomes increasingly lost in his ruse, to the point of believing his own lies of Bulger as Boston’s savior.

For most of the movie, Edgerton plays Connolly as a smooth talker who can outwit all of his colleagues, but when a new prosecutor (Corey Stoll) starts seriously looking at Bulger, Connolly crumbles into the sniveling worm he truly is. Edgerton is terrific in these scenes with his body language changing subtly as the facade he built for years comes down in a matter of minutes.

While Depp and Edgerton have the most substantial roles, they are surrounded by an outstanding cast, including Kevin Bacon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Sarsgaard, Adam Scott, Dakota Johnson, Rory Cochrane and Juno Temple.

There are no weak links in the cast. Cochrane in particular makes a lasting impression by instilling depth into a character that in lesser hands would be little more than a thug.

This is a graphically violent movie but, to director Scott Cooper’s credit, the most disturbing moments are quiet dialogue-driven scenes. Black Mass is not an easy or fun movie to watch but, for the acting, it is a must see for fans of true crime stories.

4/5

Alec Kerr