ANALYSIS/OPINION
In the late 1970s notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger made what, even at the time, must have been a head-scratching deal with the FBI: He would be put on Uncle Sam’s payroll as a criminal informant, ostensibly to help the feds break the Italian mob’s hold over Beantown, in exchange for the FBI more or less leaving him alone to shape South Boston’s crime map as he so chose.
A devil’s bargain, and one that could only have been negotiated by a fellow “Southie,” meaning another fellow from the neighborhood now working for the Bureau.
This is the setup for “Black Mass,” the new film from “Crazy Heart” director Scott Cooper, which details Bulger’s rise from small-time hood to running Boston’s entire underworld, all of it bankrolled by the taxpayers’ dime.
As Bulger, Johnny Depp, in one of his best performances, preens and mumbles in that unique Boston cadence, ambling about in a leather coat and slicked-back blond hair. His quiet menace, offset by his doting fatherhood, snuck up on those who dared cross him. Mr. Depp keeps Bulger’s sizable temper and immense evil professionally in check until it explodes diabolically in scenes of sudden, searing violence — much of it played out before witnesses, and sometimes in broad daylight.
The key turning of the story hinges on G-man John Connolly (Joel Edgerton, who was Tom Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby”), who grew up with Bulger and his Bulger’s politician brother Billy (the always-excellent Benedict Cumberbatch, criminally underused here), and who believes that forging a Bureau-Bulger alliance will be to the ultimate benefit of law enforcement. Bulger plays it otherwise, harnessing the shield of the FBI to run roughshod over his enemies and further consolidate his power, with Connolly all the while assuring his superiors his scheme will ultimately be proven correct.
Mr. Edgerton gives a serviceable performance that never quite achieves the heights of tragedy necessary to portray the painful unraveling of Connolly’s principles as he skirts the line between lawman and criminal. With a puffy wig and high cheeks, he resembles a more run-down version of Jeremy Renner, veteran of the excellent Ben Affleck Boston crime thriller “The Town.” The film drags whenever Mr. Edgerton is onscreen, a shame given his talent and charms in other films.
Unquestionably, “Black Mass” belongs to Mr. Depp, now 52, and still peaking as his immense gifts settle into far more mature middle-age roles. His take on Bulger is simultaneously unambiguous yet nuanced, as evidenced in the scene of his attempts at fathering his son Douglas (Luke Ryan) and trying to be human with Douglas’ mother, Lindsey (Dakota Johnson).
Mr. Depp’s resume is hefty with quirky, offbeat characters, but here he is pure evil incarnate, bereft of shades of redemption or guilt. Unlike Martin Scorsese’s antiheroes, Mr. Depp’s Bulger doesn’t have time for notions of sin, heaven or hell or shades of gray. All that matters are his appetites for power and the elimination of those who trespass against him.
The supporting cast is uniformly effective, including Kevin Bacon as an FBI section chief, Peter Sarsgaard as a coke-addled small-timer and “Breaking Bad” vet Jesse Plemons as one of Bulger’s key lackeys, Kevin Weeks.
Little that happens in “Black Mass” will come across as fresh or groundbreaking, but it delivers both powerful performances as well as excellent world-creation in its realization of 1980s Boston, replete with the clothes, cars and accents giving the dirty South Boston a truly lived-in, old-neighborhood feel.
And all the while is Bulger’s ubiquitous menace, perfectly encapsulated through Mr. Depp’s no-nonsense performance. This is one of the year’s best films.
***1/2
TITLE: “Black Mass”
CREDITS: Directed by Scott Cooper; screenplay by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, based on the book “Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil’s Deal” by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill
RATING: R for language and graphic violence
RUNNING TIME: 122 minutes
MAXIMUM RATING: FOUR STARS
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• Eric Althoff can be reached at twt@washingtontimes.com.
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