Johnny Depp is fantastic here and delivers a startling and chilling comeback performance. He is aided by the support of an immensely talented supporting cast - particularly Joel Edgerton who is also sensational. So many of Depp's scenes are positively chilling. The film that is built around the cast is solid if somewhat by-the-books - I actually feel like it didn't really delve into Whitey Bulger's backstory as well as it could have and a lot of scenes felt somewhat extraneous. However, it's undeniably tense and the actors make it more than worth checking out. B/ B+

It's kind of funny that Dakota Johnson has been so prominent in the advertising for this - she's in the movie for maybe 5 minutes tops and it's mostly during the first third. Julianne Nicholson has a much bigger role in terms of the female castmembers and delivered one of my favorite performances in the movie as well.

For all intents and purposes, I haven't read Dakota's part was big (well, according to Wiki) so I found it odd to see so much of her in advertising. Thanks for clearing that up (and the early review!).

Well I think they're using her to help bring in females. How is she in her brief amount of screen time?

Fine. She's hardly in it enough to leave an impression. It's a stock distraught love interest role and she isn't in the movie after

The focal point of the vast advertising campaign for Black Mass, director Scott Cooper's dour Boston-set crime yarn, is the allure of A-list star Johnny Depp playing a very adult role (he curses! he drives muscle cars! he shoots! he strangles!) after a decade many believe he squandered on Pirates of the Caribbean sequels and Tim Burton fantasies. He plays James "Whitey" Bulger, a small-time-hood-turned-sadistic-kingpin who led the Winter Hill Gang, partly evaded justice by trading information with a complicit FBI, and arguably rose to be the most notorious figure in the history of organized crime in Boston before going on the lam.

The performance is a colorful and amusing piece of over-the-top acting, from the icier-than-the-Arctic blue eyes to the sternly whispered musings on loyalty in the land of dropped Rs, although it ultimately still bears a definite resemblance to what he does for Burton and Disney: an ultra-externalized, prosthetic-assisted feat of scenery devouring, albeit one presented in a far gloomier context. There is almost no interior dimension beneath the hard, borderline demonic facade; in fact, the character may be scarier if he seemed even a shade human or vulnerable. I believe the actor gave a more nuanced true-crime turn as the slain John Dillinger in Public Enemies.

More captivating is Joel Edgerton as John Connolly, an FBI agent born and raised in South Boston. It is Connolly who establishes the thorny union shared by Whitey and the bureau and uses it to advance his career, brutality and chaos be damned. He is at once a bit despicable (a blustering ham) and entirely sympathetic as a man trying to reconcile the vicious world he came from with his city-upon-a-hill dream of what he could become; he allows himself to become compromised beyond repair as a result, and this is the film's most satisfying and complete character arc.

In general, Black Mass is a decent, straightforward gangster movie, but never a great or overtly inspired one. It will not enter the genre's canon alongside The Godfather and the best of Martin Scorsese. Too many compelling actors and characters are left undernourished on the periphery, most notably Benedict Cumberbatch. He is rather seldom utilized as Whitey's brother, a man involved in a more prestigious type of organized crime: state politics. And though the film definitely motions toward three viable functions—an anthropological contemplation of South Boston as a neighborhood and breeding ground for head-smashing toughs; a psychological contemplation of its infamous central figure; or simply a detailed and journalistic recreation of his expansive criminal activity—it never satisfactorily commits to any of them, instead modestly trying its hand at each in turn and relying, leaning, on the magnetism of the ensemble and an unyielding steely mood.

B

I quite liked it. I found myself surprisingly engaged for most of the running time, it's a very nice looking and well shot film. I thought Depp was very good but it's not really Oscar worthy, while I felt Edgerton's performance was.

massively black

This was a really solid Crime/Drama. It felt like a more modern take on Goodfellas at times although I wouldn't call this a classic. Honestly, I still prefer The Departed or The Town more as far as these Boston/Irish gangster movies go, but there's more than enough good stuff to appreciate here. The performances across the board are great especially Depp and Edgerton, but I don't know if I'd call them Oscar worthy. It's definitely the best we've seen come out Depp in a long time and the bit between him Edgerton's wife is easily my favorite scene in the movie. He plays a chilling/scary mofo well, but never breaks any real ground. I just wish there was a bit more going for the movie itself instead of focusing so hard on how effing creepy Bulger could be.

Easily Johnny Depp's best performance in years, Black Mass represents the actor taking a break from slumming to essay a rather frightening depiction of Whitey Bulger. It's far and away the highlight of the film, a solid but rather workmanlike mob flick you've seen before and better. While Depp is the primary reason to see Black Mass, special notice should be given to Joel Edgerton, who gives another excellent performance in what is becoming an interesting and diverse career. B

it's really all about Depp. The movie itself was merely ok, a little too matter-of-facts and not enough drama, sort of just moved along instead of making you feel the ups and downs of the characters. Scorsese would have made a classic out of this material (guess he already did with Goodfellas). But Depp was truly sensational, definitely Oscar worthy. A few scenes would just make you chill, like the one when he went upstairs to talk to Connolly's wife.

People saying what Depp does here is so different from him as Jack Sparrow or him as the Mad Hatter are fooling themselves. It is a traditional modern Depp performance: major prosthetic appliances, an overt "character" into which he can vanish, etc.

I'm starting to think Scott Cooper is a hack. Both this and Out of the Furnace are so fucking safe and done with such little flair that it's kind of astounding.

Oh what someone like Scorsese or, going way back, a Michael Cimino could've done with this material. The movie feels sedated and straightforward when it should be sprawling and operatic. It should be great and not just merely good.

When people remember this film in a month, year, whenever, they'll only remember Johnny Depp. Depp rises above the film's disappointing goodness and gives an Oscar-worthy performance. His Bulger is calm, calculating and always frightening. Once you get past the make up (took me about five minutes, which I was shocked by), Depp is never "not on". His Bulger is sociopathic yet amazingly empathetic in spots - words I'd never thought I'd apply to Bulger. And most importantly, he's unpredictable. It's about as well-rounded a performance as you can get. It just deserves a much better film.

I also don't get what you guys see in Edgerton. I don't know what accent he's trying to pull off, but it isn't a Boston one. The only thing I can come up with is he's trying to be a rat personified, which would fit the character, but he looks like an idiot. And next to Depp he should be embarrassed.

And maybe the biggest sin the film commits is that we don't learn a thing about Bulger. He's a sociopath, he wants to be a kingpin, and there's absolutely no effort made to find out why.

I enjoyed the film, but this could've been so much more.

*** (B)

Black Mass

While Joel Edgerton and Johnny Depp were both very good, the film is rather average. Depp feels like a supporting role at times, though. Nothing much else to say. I got fed up towards the end. Nothing much else to say. Scorsese would have made this brilliant. Nothing much else to say. It's a shame that Scott Cooper couldn't be two-for-two because Out of the Furnace is brilliant. Nothing much else to say...

C+

One of the better films I've seen this year, mainly because of a great cast, and some wonderful Scott Cooper shots. The films has it's flaws though, it's pacing is off, and the music doesn't fit well. Cooper nailed Out of The Furnance, but the Black Mass story has been too hastily written for Cooper's directing style. There's simply too much intrigue in the film to fit it into a 2hr film.
It also doesn't become clear really, whether the film is actually about Connolly now or about Bugler. It would have been better with a clearer direction. Nonetheless Edgerton and Depp both give one of the best performances of the year so far, and the rest of the cast it top notch as well. It's simply been too much of a star studded cast to call everyone out. Although I especially enjoyed Bacon's role. The fact, that the film lends it self mostly to isolated events in Bulger's life and the people around him is something that could be improved. The cast takes the film very far though, and Cooper's attention to detail in a frame is great to watch too.

B+

I thought this was a complete and utter bore. Uninspired and clichéd on almost every level. Johnny Depp was just okay. Benedict Cumberbatch was awful (that accent). Disappointed. I was a big fan of Out of the Furnace. Meh.

That really doesn't seem like a "B+" review, man.

I guess I'm not a very good writer.
I found the film anything but boring, so much stuff happens, giving a look inside characters, which played a historic role in the Boston of the 80's. Too much stuff actually happens, that is what makes it hard to feel really connected with it, but I find it a fascinating story.

This was pretty good. Not one i'll revisit, but I certainly thought it was better than Bridge of Spies. the acting is uniformly good, especially Depp, who I believe was robbed of an Oscar nom (Damon, seriously?). It was gritty and relentless, and though it was slow at points, I was mostly engaged.

B

depp was robbed, should've won Best actor, how did he not get nominated. Edggerton and ensemble cast all outstanding.

I am also in the Joel Edgerton was the scene stealer camp and I think its because of this that Depp never shines as much because even without the help of make-up Edgerton matches him. As for the film outside of these two characters is very pedestrian in its approach going from point A to point B without ever welcoming the audience in its cold and detested world. For such a film it felt there was a need for lot more gore than what's at display. There are certain side stories specially with Sarsgard that felt unnecessary. There are also certain scenes which were creepy like the one where Depp visits Edgerton's wife, the movie needed much more of these to leave a mark. Depp and Edgerton both should have been nominated for this even though I do not think they would have won.

B-