'Black Mass' is another is a line of crime dramas set in Boston. The film will inevitable be compared to 'The Departed.' And it falls short in the comparison. The acting is top rate, and Depp is much better, not as hammy, than the comic portrait of a crime boss by Nicholson in 'The Departed.' Depp is genuinely threatening in the film and the make-up job given him in the film adds to the fright.
The movie although fairly interesting in retrospect isn't as thoroughly interesting as I was hoping. The dialogue is decent throughout and I would go as far as to say it was great in a couple of scenes but at other times it wasn't as interesting. But the major drawback was the pacing, I was hoping for something similar to a Martin Scorsese gangster flick where it's fast paced and interesting from first frame to last and I didn't get that. Instead this film has lots of slow moments and I was actually dozing a bit and I don't get bored easy at all I love slow movies just as long as something semi interesting is happening. BUT dont get me wrong I think its a very decent movie eventhough I cant really enjoy because of the violent.
'Black Mass' has the look of a 70s television show, and that works in its favor. In fact, the overall look of the film is exquisite. That, and the acting, are the two best things in the film. However, the movie is both too much and not enough. 'Black Mass' tries to cover too much and thus it lacks focus. This is where 'The Departed' succeeds. While 'The Departed' has many layers and character, it has a focus: the Southie, Billy. 'Black Mass' doesn't have a main theme, a main character, a main protagonist or antagonist. There are a bunch of characters in tense situations with some irony and symbolism. However, in the end, there is nothing to hold onto, no lessons, no emotions, love or hate, for any characters.
As the title suggests, Black Mass is a tale that is perhaps one of the darkest movies I've seen in a long time. The visual portrayal of Bulger's rise to power is one without filters, where violence, threats, and death rain in high definition splendor. Unlike older mob movies that resulted to gunfights and quick, clean kills, Black Mass gets its hands dirty with detailed torture and gore painting the silver screen a sickly red. Those with weak constitutions will need to avoid this picture, especially during the instances where Whitey results to other means to deal with the "rats" of Boston. I give props to Scott Cooper and his team for unfolding a portion of the mafia world, but like so many took it a little too far than was necessary.
Coming to the acting side, Johnny Depp offers a high level performance as James "Whitey" Bulger; though his flexibility in pulling off different roles is known, this one will stand novel for its brutality of character and flawlessness in presentation. Those scenes where he panic John Morris and threaten Marianne just elevate the genius of an actor in him. While Depp exposes such versatility, there is Joel Edgerton who offers an equally brilliant performance as John Connolly, who too shares an equal space on script. His performance came out as a surprise package and offered an unnoticed emotional inclination for the plot. In addition to them, there is Benedict Cumberbatch as Bill Bulger, a role suiting him very well, though less on screen, he was good. Dakota Johnson, with appealing lips, seemed unused in a smaller role while Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons and David Harbour did their supportive roles well.
7.8/10 IMDb
75% Rotten Tomatoes
68% Metacritic
8/10 Verdict
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