Black Mass Johnny Depp S Comeback Is Complete

I don’t think anyone’s going to deny that Johnny Depp is one of the most electric actors currently working. I also don’t think that anyone’s going to try to fight the declaration that for the last decade – maybe decade and a half – the bulk of his work has been big-budget movies, the likes of which will give him paychecks to ensure that his grandchildren’s grandchildren will never struggle financially. While Depp never struggles to turn in a committed performance, the films over this period of time have been largely mediocre to bad, with only a couple of exceptions. Black Mass is being billed by many in the media as Depp’s “comeback” film, although what they really mean is that it looks like one that has the potential to be good. Depp didn’t go anywhere; he’s just been stuck in a seemingly endless loop of junk. Black Mass, directed by Scott Cooper, is the based-on-true-events story of one James “Whitey” Bulger (Depp), a crime boss located primarily in South Boston. Taking place over several years, the film depicts important events both in his personal and criminal life, as well as events that happened around him. The film doesn’t want to act simply as a biopic of Whitey’s life; it also wants to focus on FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), who uses Whitey as an informant for a lengthy period of time. This, however, is a house-of-cards story, and after teasing it for a while, events start to get out of control for both men, before – well, I don’t want to spoil it for those who don’t know about the real events, but can you really ruin a real-life story? Look it up if you want to know what happened. Or see the movie, because it’s the first good wide-release in what feels like forever. It’s complex and complicated characters, and the relationships between them, that keeps Black Mass interesting. Johnny Depp certainly helps, but one fun character in an otherwise dull movie wouldn’t elevate it to the point where it would be worth seeing. What does that is getting to watch all of these individuals interact with each other. The politicking, the negotiations, and even the rare moments of levity are all fascinating. Morality, on both sides of the law, plays into the proceedings, as does the desire for advancement – for more. It’s a world that the average person doesn’t get to experience except in fiction, and thanks to the individuals that populate Black Mass, it feels rich, vibrant, and something in which you should invest your time. While it may not be quite as thrilling as The Departed – still the pinnacle of these sorts of things – in large part because it does feel very reminiscent of better movies, and it sometimes feels cold, like it’s presenting facts instead of trying to tell a compelling narrative, Black Mass is a thrilling tale of loyalty, deceit, and one very, very interesting mobster: Whitey Bulger. Johnny Depp turns in his best performance in a long time, he’s supported wonderfully by the likes of Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, and Corey Stoll, and the film has a rare ability to make you both fear and sympathize with its gangster protagonist. Sure, he’s doing some really terrible things, but you also kind of want to see him get away with it, even when his house of cards begins to fall apart. Johnny Depp has finally picked a good project that doesn’t feel like a cash-grab; let’s hope he starts picking them more frequently. Bottom Line: Black Mass is a tense and interesting movie about a real-world crime boss. Recommendation: Unless you’re tired of Boston-set gangster movies, Black Mass is worth seeing. [rating=3.5]