Direction: Scott
Cooper; Cast: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Rory Cochrane, Benedict
Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, W. Earl
Brown, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota
Johnson; Story: Based on the novel with the same title by Dick
Lehr and Gerard O’Neill; Screenplay: Jez Butterworth, Mark Mallouk;
Cinematography: Masanobu Takayanagi; Editing:
David Rosenbloom; Music: Junkie XL; Producers: Scott Cooper, John
Lesher, Patrick McCormick; Genre: Bio,
Crime; Location: Boston; Distributor: Warner Bros Pictures Running
Time: 149 minutes
Technical assessment: 3.5
Moral Assessment: 2.5
CINEMA rating: V18
MTRCB: R16
In 1975,
FBI agent John Connolly (Edgerton) is assigned in the same area in South Boston
where Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger (Depp) is slowly gaining control over the organized
crime syndicate. Apparently, the two were childhood friends, together with
Jimmy’s senator brother, Billy. A welcome opportunity to eradicate Whitey
Bulger’s remaining challenger, the Mafia Angiulo
Brothers, comes when Connolly offers Bulger to be an FBI informant. Despite
opposition from their colleagues, Bulger and Connolly proceed in the dubious
relationship. By 1981, Bulger has succeeded in becoming the kingpin of South
Boston with stakes in drugs, gambling and arms dealing while Connolly covers
for the seeming lack of valuable information from Bulger. But before Connolly’s
superior (Bacon) can terminate the arrangement, the FBI is able to gather
incriminating conversation from the wire taps of the Angiulos. This
leads to Connolly and Bulger developing a closer relationship and alarming
murder of people who either oppose or compromise Bulger’s status. Bulger’s fall
begins when the new District Attorney Fred Wyshak (Stoll)
proves to be adamant in finding out why Bulger has remained free despite
evidences of his crimes.
If
there’s one reason to watch Black Mass,
it has to be the compelling performance of Depp. He attacks his role with wit
and depth that it is almost hard to believe this is the same actor behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Jack Sparrow. Coupled with dramatic
prosthetics, Depp’s Bulger becomes the menacingly cold and unrepentant criminal
audiences love to hate. The aesthetics and technicalities of the shots and
framings feel gritty and raw, bringing a documentary-like texture to the film.
Junkie XL’s score engages the moment without overselling. Another triumphant
area is the production and set design which effortlessly transports us in the
70s and 80s. Black Mass is a work of art and a good material for academic
discussion.
When
Bulger chides his son Douglas about hitting his classmate, he reasons that his
mistake was hitting while people were looking. Thus, little Douglas learns that
violence and aggression are okay as long as they are done when people do not
see. This seems to be the guiding principle of Bulger because we see how
charming he was with the old lady he met in the streets of Boston, how much of
a loving son and brother he is and how much he adores his son. In public, he
refuses to be handed over dirty money and murders people silently until his
image is compromised. Bulger believes violence is necessary and warranted as
long as it is not done in public (especially by him). On the other hand, we see how obsession
with a goal sometimes clouds our judgment and challenges our ethics. When
Connolly turns a blind eye to the criminal activities of Bulger so he can catch
the Angiulos at first and prove the faultlessness of his
decision later, he unwittingly creates his own Frankenstein which ultimately
leads to the breakup of his marriage and the downfall of his career. Although
the movie shows that crime does not pay as Bulger and his cohorts are
ultimately incarcerated, the entire two hours are peppered with “F” words and
splattering body parts. It is advisable that only older and more mature
audiences watch the movie.
