Black Mass

Black Mass Einglish Movie 2015

Black Mass Einglish Movie 2015

 Story Line:
In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement, consolidate power, and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history.

 

Review:

It’s no small compliment when I tell you that I believe Scott Cooper’s Black Mass can run with Scorsese’s mob trilogy of Goodfellas, Casino and, especially, the South Boston-flavored The Departed. It's that dirty, nasty and compelling. Of course, the ramifications of the statement are clear. And there’s no question Cooper’s retracing steps that were laid in the blood-soaked mud by Scorsese’s enormous shoe. But if you dialed into the madness and menace of those aforementioned crime sagas, then Black Mass is right up your alley.

Johnny Depp’s a major reason why. Can you remember how commanding Depp was in Donnie Brasco, or how captivating he was in Ed Wood? Do you recall when Depp owned the screen in movies like Blow, Edward Scissorhands, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and, yes, even Pirates of the Caribbean. (The first one, at least.) He’s that good in Black Mass, larger than life and barely contained to the screen as he turns true-life Boston crime lord James “Whitey” Bulger into a menacing, intimidating and dangerously unpredictable snake in the grass.

Bulger’s story is a classic American gangster tale, the stuff that essentially writes itself for the screen (no disrespect to Black Mass screenwriters Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, who wring tension and fear out of Bulger’s criminal reign). From the early 1970s until 1994, Bulger and the sadistic members of his Winter Hill Gang lorded over South Boston’s tight-knit neighborhoods – feuding with Italian rivals and manipulating local law enforcement. But Bulger also made a deal behind the scenes with the FBI in 1975 to serve as an informant, and it’s this seedy relationship that gives Black Mass its spine.

Depp isn’t asked to hoist Black Mass on his back and carry it the distance. On the FBI’s side, Cooper casts the fantastic Joel Edgerton as John Connolly, a childhood friend (and fellow Southie) of Bulger’s who puts his neck on the line and convinces his superior (Kevin Bacon) that a deal with the crime boss can be beneficial to the Bureau. And for a short amount of time, it seems to be working. Bulger gives the FBI information about his rivals, then operates his own criminal operations under the “protection” provided by having assistants in law enforcement. Nothing sticks to Bulger, so it’s damn-near impossible to bring him down – even though he’s involved in everything from drugs and racketeering to murder. Cooper even establishes an unexpectedly affecting relationship between Bulger and his son… and complications in that relationship push Whitey further down a path to destruction.