In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. BLACK MASS tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement, consolidate power, and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history. Cue a trailer with great use of music!
BLACK MASS looks like the usual gangster business, although I can’t get over how fake Johnny Depp‘s hair, make-up and contacts look. I appreciate that filmmakers want to go the extra mile in order to make their actors look more like their real-life counterparts, but sometimes it gets to the point where it’s distracting (lookin’ at you FOXCATCHER) and ends up taking away from the movie. They could’ve scaled it back, but what do I know? At the end of the day, it’s Johnny Depp and he always delivers solid work regardless of the outcome of the film.
BLACK MASS hits theaters on September 18, 2015.