Black Mass is a movie directed by Scott Cooper that is based on actual events involving the Winter Hill Gang. A tough Irish gang that controlled South Boston, MA in the late 70's into the mid 90's. The leader of this gang was James "Whitey" Bulger (played by Johnny Depp) who is the brother of the State Senator Billy Bulger (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). FBI agent and childhood friend, John Connolly (played by Joel Edgerton) approaches him to form an "alliance" of sorts. John Connolly is eager to wipe out the Italian mob in Boston to further his career and wants to have Whitey help him. In return, he'll feed Bulger information and protect him from being charged for crimes as he'll do what he can to protect Whitey. Connolly's boss, FBI Agent Charles McGuire (played by Kevin Bacon) is suspicious and confrontational about the arrangement with Bulger the entire time.
This movie often feels more like a series of re-enactments than a cohesive film. There's character interaction of course, but it felt to me like it was done just to finish that particular scene and not for the overall story and character relationships as the movie progresses. However, maybe this was intentional. Maybe director Scott Cooper wants you to be submerged in a world of criminals, corruption, lies and deceit. A world where people were actually emotionally distant and kept up their guard. Maybe he wants the film to reflect this world that you are in for 2 hours and 3 minutes.
There is a scene however, which is wonderful and speaks to what I felt is missing in the rest of the film. The dinner scene with Bulger, Connolly, Agent John Morris (played by the awesome David Harbour, who also plays Hopper in the amazing Stranger Things series on Netflix) and Steve Flemmi, Bulger's right hand man (played by Rory Cochrane). In this awesome well shot, well timed scene you understand what the rest of this film could've been. You feel the chemistry, the connection & the tension of the characters as they talk over dinner. It is the gem of the film.
What carries this movie through are the individual performances. There isn't a single character in this movie that I felt wasn't played to perfection. Johnny Depp truly delivers as Whitey Bulger. His menacing stare and creepy intimidation tactics make your skin crawl. With Depp being arguably one the best character actors of our time, it's especially nice to see him in a more subdued role to really show again that he has the chops.
Actor Joel Edgerton's portrayal of Agent Connolly is another standout performance. He truly is a character I loved to hate. Even more than Bulger because at least with Whitey, you know he's a criminal and expect as much. With Connolly being an FBI Agent, his manipulation and lies just made me disgusted with him and I enjoyed it very much. With his portrayal of this corrupt FBI Agent, it was Edgerton's subtle mannerisms and well placed inflections in his voice that delivered for me.
Summary: I can't help but feel this movie somehow falls short from its full potential. With the strong performances and the great cinematography, I never get a sense of true character relationships or meaningful interactions (with the exception of the dinner scene). I walk away with a nagging feeling that there was so much more to give but it just didn't happen, leaving a sort of hollow feeling. With that being said, the movie is certainly not a waste of time and is an overall enjoyable watch.
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