[yasr_overall_rating]
The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.
One thing is obvious about Scott Cooper–he’s seen “The Exorcist.” His take on the James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) story places Bulger squarely in the role, not of hapless teen Regan, but of Satan himself. Cooper takes great pains to echo the grim horror classic as he tells the tale of the South Boston gangster who lured the FBI into an agreement, via childhood friend Special Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), for the federal agency to give him “leeway” in exchange for information on his rivals. In case you aren’t familiar with the whole story, Bulger continues his mobster ways after feeding information to Agent Connolly which helps the FBI take down the mafia network of mob boss Jerry Angiulo. While Bulger shows his willingness to kill brutally without remorse, the FBI team handling him comes under scrutiny. In the end, Bulger shows he’ll even betray his friends and leave everything he’s ever known behind to protect himself. The action stays true to the history, faithful to its source book, and remains vicious to its core, just like its subject.
Aside from Cooper’s tricky horror show come gangster film, the acting drives “Black Mass.” Joel Edgerton, Kevin Bacon, Benedict Cumberbatch, and the rest of the all star supporting cast deliver impressive performances when allowed. There are stars for every role, it seems, even the smallest. A few get more attention than others because they impact the story so well. Julianne Nicholson plays Mrs. Connolly as bewildered at first, but manages to stand up to her husband. She just picks a bad time for her show of strength. Dakota Johnson amazes as Bulger’s ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, who’s faced with having to make a choice no parent should ever have to make. She’s one of the few characters who truly knows how to handle Bulger, knowing full well what he’s capable of. Benedict Cumberbatch has so little screen time he gets little chance to flesh out his role as the protective younger brother who wants to believe that Jimmy really is a good guy. Jessie Plemons and Rory Cochrane hold the story together as Bulger’s former henchmen who turn informant in a plea deal for lesser prison sentences. Peter Sarsgaard stands out from this bunch as the quirky coke-head patsy Brian Halloran who feels the full weight of Bulger’s wrath after he tried to turn himself in to the FBI, but was rebuffed by Conolly.
On the FBI side of things, Kevin Bacon and David Harbour nail down excellent performances in supporting roles. Bacon’s turn as Agent Charles McGuire, Connolly’s supervisor, seethes with rage as he goes reluctantly along with Connolly’s plan only to get burned by it. When Agent Robert Fitzpatrick (Adam Scott) discovers the truth about Connolly, he’s more than willing to go after his former protégé. Bacon shines in roles like this, law enforcers a touch driven and a touch angry. Harbour strikes the perfect balance between confidence and fear as Connolly’s partner. It’s a joy to watch his transformation as he realizes in horror what he’s been dragged into. The subtlety followed by overt regret play give the film some much needed emotional heft.
While Oscar-worthy performances dot the landscape of “Black Mass,” none comes close in power and substance to those of Johnny Depp as Bulger and Joel Edgerton as John Connolly. Both actors give arguably the best performances of their respective careers. Depp embodies evil, echoing the icy blue eyes and pasty white skin of Linda Blair’s possessed teenager from “The Exorcist.” His facial expressions pierce through the soul, inspiring fear and loyalty like none other. Even his voice drops into a raspy, crackling baritone throughout the film. Perhaps it might be better to say Bulger didn’t inspire loyalty in his companions so much as he possessed them. Whenever he’s on screen, he captures the audience’s attention and holds it like a rattlesnake you’ve stumbled across in the woods. Nothing remains of the actor. In his place, we see this dark, evil figure we find hard to believe is human. Edgerton, for his part, comes across like an evil Wizard of Oz who’s convincing yet rotten to the core. He holds desperately to his Southie loyalties while convincing the FBI Bulger’s information makes him a valuable asset. It’s said the Devil’s greatest trick is to convince the world he’s really the good guy. Bulger seems to have been a master at this.
Cooper does a fantastic job with his actors and in creating a believable version of 1970s and early 1980s Boston. Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth’s screenplay based on the book of the same name by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neal gives plenty of great lines to remember and a compelling story to watch. However, Cooper’s pacing lets it drag too often in places. The tension falls apart in places where the action stalls in favor of dialogue or another shot of Bulger’s ice cold stare. The direction simply doesn’t hold up to the acting here, which may feel contradictory. What it means is Cooper took a great film and made a very good one out of it. If you want to see a great movie about South Boston, see “The Town.” I do think “Black Mass” is worth a viewing and still makes my top ten list. In fact, I liked most things about it. I just felt it could have been a masterpiece, but wasn’t.
In theaters September 18th
