I was less then compelled by this movie, and less compelled to even write about it, which is a fair assessment of my overall feelings. A movie is brilliant, I am rushing to write, a movie is awful, the same. 'Black Mass' inspired very little from me but a sense of a missed opportunity. Depp's performance is more then good, great in some moments, when the script and director let the movie take a darker approach to the character...less so when we see him in weary scenes discussing the death of his child. All the performances are strong, yet none very compelling. The movie feels disjointed, incomplete, unable to really get it's footing. The direction is competent, slightly more so in some scenes. But, stock shots of Boston's harbor and hacky quick editing in the Miami nightclub scenes to little to distinguish 'Black Mass' from a dozen plus B list gangster movies from the last two decades.
Edgerton has a performance equal to Depp, yet the script and directing didn't really get much out of his character. Very surface level and superficial. Jesse Plemons as Kevin 'Two' Weeks was great, yet seemed out of place and forgotten despite promising in the films opening to tell the whole story. He doesn't. He just sort of introduces Bulger, and fades into the background. This happens frequently. The movie jumps around, never settling on any particular character or narrative, and in the end, the viewer is left less the moved, or even entertained, a sort of apathetic shrug of 2 hours that weren't entirely bad.
Steve Flemmi is given an oddly sympathetic portrayal, (for anyone who read 'Black Mass') as is Connolly, as if the movie needed to make up for moments of Bulger worship, and homages to 'Goodfellas' with stylish montages of shoe and clothing collections, and domestic/religious Bulger. We never get a sense of what made him such a ruthless and effective leader, able to rake in millions of dollars, and escape justice. We understand why it happened, but not how, and not who the man was. Benedict Cumberbatch as William Bulger is great, and another highlight in an uneven and unfocused movie. The end is reduced to typical gangster movie cut outs of the sentences handed down to the players, with little to reflect on, which is sad, considering the material, explosive, brutal, sickening, indicting as it is, of not just James Bulger, but the FBI, and the unrelenting ugliness of human nature. A missed chance to make a greta movie.
"Joel is big time". Dude was never on my radar. But to see his performance in "the Gift". And then see him in this film. I'm a fan. I wanna see him in more lead in big time films. In some sense, it feels like this movie is actually about him. Johnny Depp. The hype is real. Great performance. Even though his character is crazy. I still think they could have shown even more that.
. I was checking my phone and everything. I get that they have to build the story which I have no problem it. But it just wasn't interesting. Then it hit a stride and it finished strong until the end. Could certain actors like Joel get a supporting actor nominee? It's possible but as a film this aint a classic or nothing. But like Interstellar, it's good.
. The whole theatre was silent. Amazing acting.
