Black Mass Movie Review

Even with a tight screenplay with lots of classy one liners and powerful dialogues (that too with the "f" word repeated countless times), what makes Black Mass really special is a spellbinding performance from Johnny Depp. The film narrating the true story of one of the most notorious gangster in American history makes you sit in awe and appreciate the style in which it has been presented.
The story revolves around James Whitey Bulger played by Depp's character who is the kingpin behind many crimes and exortions in the City of Boston. Whitey has a brother named Billy Bulger who happens to be a Senator. Whitey acting as an informant, with the help of his FBI friend John Conolley helps the police to catch many mafia dons who were basically his foes. The turning of Whitey as an informant basically had some hidden agenda in it. The events that unfolded after this forms the basic crux of Black Mass.
The pace of the movie is sluggish but every now and then Depp arrives on screen to enlighten the proceedings. More of a performance oriented film tracking the criminal track history of a dreaded gangster, Black Mass would have been a great film if the screenplay had taken more care in presenting the supporting characters with more screen presence rather than focusing entirely on Whitey Bulger.
On the performance side, Johnny Depp is at his vintage best. Looking stylish, he was able to create a sort of fear in us with a mesmerising effort. For me, James Whitey Bulger is one of his best characters to date.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Whitey's brother was upto the task but in a film largely focusing on the chief character of Whitey, the actor could not make much of a presence. Joel Edgerton as FBI agent Conolley was a good casting who inspite of remaining in the shadow of Depp throughout the film was able to make a reasonably good impact. Rest of the actors were good but as I said they were mostly overshadowed.
Overall, with a powerful performance from the lead actor and good direction from Scott Coopper, this biography works well as a crime film portraying the criminal life of a real person. I am giving three and a half out of five for Black Mass.
Rating - 3.5 / 5