Review of Black Mass (2015) by Nathandrake007 — 13 Oct 2015

Scott Cooper has managed to do what so many films before have failed. Make a film based on a True story intriguing and scary, quite literally, all the way through. This has got to be one of the better Mobster movies of the last 10 years. Only two other major favourites for me would be ‘Lawless’ with Tom Hardy and Shia Lebeouf and previous to that was ‘Road to Perdition’ starring Tom Hanks. The previous entry from Depp in this genre would have been ‘Public Enemies’, which was rather disappointing. Thankfully here it is also based on a true story.

The film opens up with one of Whitey’s closest allies/friends giving information to the FBI on the now fugitive man. It is a brilliant start that makes you want to find out more and more. Sucks you right in from the get go. The first time we see Depp’s ‘Jimmy Bulger’ we get a true sense of fear that others would have felt at the time. Telling one of his colleagues not to place his dirty, filthy, bacteria infested hands back into the peanuts on the table was enough for me to not want any nuts for a while. This man was horrifying. From small time crook with a beautiful girlfriend and a small child of his own, into one of Boston’s biggest and most violent criminals of our time.

What makes the film even more engrossing as it goes on is the relationships between the FBI’s leading man John Connelly, played by the brilliant Joel Edgerton. From the moment he gives this man some information, the rest of the film has you on the edge of your seat. Another great performance also comes from the, then, state senator and brother of Whitey, Billy Bulger played by Benedict Cumberbatch. The things this man had to ignore to be a good father and a decent politician was incredible.

Another big note to add to the long list of actors in this film is Dakota Johnson, hot on the heels of her performance in Fifty Shades of Grey, shows us here that there is really big things coming for her career. Some great scenes for her in this film almost out shine Depp’s at one point. Jesse Plemens (Breaking Bad) who plays Whitey’s Bodyguard/Muscle is also stunning to watch and I hope we see him in more to come.

The Composer for this film is worth mentioning as the depth of the score when the times arise for it, makes for an even more frightening thriller. Tom Holkenborg who recently scored Mad Max Fury Road and co collaborated on Man of Steel and the upcoming Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice. He does a great job and never floods the film with too much at once.

If you love anything to do with crime in the 1980’s and brilliant Boston accents this movie is the Drama/Thriller of the year so far. Nothing has quite come close to this genre for a while with the scope this does. Johnny Depp truly deserves his nominations here. That make up makes him look terrifying which just creates even more tension on screen every time he shows up.

Just be warned this is a brutally violent film and hold no punches back. Not for the faint of heart. Go and see Black Mass before it does the unthinkable and leaves the cinema too early.