Black Mass is directed by Scott Cooper and stars Johnny Depp as an actual character for once and not a reincarnation of Captain Jack Sparrow, can you believe that! The film tells the story of James "Whitey" Bulger, played by Depp, and the expansion of his criminal empire in the 70s and 80s. Despite being one of the most ruthless, bloody and infamous gangsters in America, Bulger was allowed to get away with the horrific crimes he caused due to a formal alliance he held with an FBI agent and his brother, a powerful senator. However, as his criminal dealings become increasingly erratic, this alliance is put under immense pressure as the FBI try and find a way to take Bulger down.
So far I think its fair to say a fair share of movies to come out in 2015 have been hyped up only to fall short of my personal expectations. Thankfully, Black Mass is not one of those movies. It is an interesting and thrilling crime drama with real suspenseful direction, investing dialogue, good acting all round and characters you love to watch and interact with each other. I had a great time with this movie.
It definitely won't be looked back on in years to come as a definitive film within the crime drama genre (which is littered with classics), but Black Mass does everything it sets out to do and delivered on all of the levels that I wanted it to. A lot of the credit has to go to director Scott Cooper. While I wasn't a fan of his last film "Out of the Furnace", this film surprised me at how well it was directed. Cooper has a great handle on the movie's serious and at times disgusting tone, which makes for some truly haunting scenes and some thrilling moments.
But Cooper also excels with his visual direction. Black Mass really does feel as if a director has taken hold of a project and produced it in his/her personal style. It's definitely a good looking film. In fact I'd go as far to say that it is so good that it perfectly encapsulates the location the story is taking place in. Boston in this film is made to look murky, cold and chilling via Cooper's direction and because it is done so well, it feels like its own character. The movie's overall tone and visual aesthetic complement each other perfectly, which is I feel a necessity when telling a story like this.
I have to be honest here though, Black Mass would have failed if it wasn't for the brilliance of Johnny Depp in this role. His acting performance is so good to the point where his eyes seem to shut off and he becomes a completely different person. He steals every single scene he is in and when he isn't on screen you desperately want to see him come back on. Despite the fact he is a despicable human being who does some unforgiveable stuff, you still kind of empathize with him because he's such an interesting character with real humanity and an excellent back story. Credit here should go to the screenwriters for crafting such an excellent lead character.
The rest of the acting performances are all really good. Black Mass has such a huge cast but everyone who makes it up all understand their roles perfectly and shine when they need to. Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kevin Bacon, Adam Scott and Corey Stoll all did really well with the screen time they were accommodated. But Joel Edgerton was great as Connolly, Bulger's childhood friend and the FBI agent who he forms the alliance with to take down the Italians.
It's been a really good year for Edgerton. He can now properly wipe the shit stain that is Exodus: Gods & Kings off his reputation because this, along with his amazing debut directorial effort "The Gift" (which you must see) make him one of my favourite guys in Hollywood at the moment. He's another excellently crafted character, one whose motivations you understand and one who you route for to succeed, even if he is technically breaking the law.
As for issues I have with the movie, I only have maybe 1 or 2. The first being I think it is one of those films you watch once but never feel the need to go back to again. The second concerns the film's overall narrative. Black Mass has a habit of jumping years at a time. I just wish that they had decided against this. I think the film would have felt more narratively cohesive and less discombobulated. It was a decision made in the editing room which I felt hindered the natural progression of the story.
But overall Black Mass is a really good movie with an amazing lead performance. Even if you don't fancy seeing it, it should be worth a watch for people who are really into great acting, and crime dramas in general for that matter. It's a solid entry into the genre:
Rating - B+
Thanks for reading,
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment