Review of Black Mass (2015) by Axgrinder — 17 Sep 2015
Only mildly interesting. I expected Bulger’s life to be fascinating, but it’s more like Joe Pesci’s character in Goodfellas on Lithium.
This gangster story covers little new ground. The movie is conventional storytelling that lacks drama and feels a bit too long as it labors through two decades of Bulger’s life as a criminal who murdered those around him whom he viewed as a potential threat, and then skips over how he went in to hiding and managed to avoid capture for 16 years. Many of the scenes are reminiscent of Goodfellas only much duller. While you might think it would be cool to be a Wiseguy, you’d never want to be a member of the Winter Hill Gang, because their lives are completely devoid of any joy, excitement or anxiety.
J Depp will no doubt receive a Best Actor nomination, but it’s not enough to make me recommend this movie. After a long summer movie drought, this movie was like the promise of rain in the Kalahari Desert, only to see it evaporate before ever touching the ground.
This review of Black Mass (2015) was written by Axgrinder on 17 Sep 2015.
Black Mass has generally received positive reviews.
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