In Black Mass, Jimmy "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) dispenses advice to his young son, who's gotten in trouble at school, "It's not what you do, but when and where you do it, and who you do it to and with." This line sums up the film perfectly: Black Mass is a gangster movie with all the trappings of its genre - grisly violence, political corruption, and three F-bombs a minute - and in different hands, this would fall flat on its face. However, Black Mass has Johnny Depp, who, after a period of disappointments (Dark Shadows, Mordecai, The Lone Ranger, Alice In Wonderland, Into the Woods, and my personal worst offender, Transcendence), is revitalized, in his best role in over a decade. This cast brings the film to life, turning an otherwise standard mob story into a stylish, brutal odyssey.
In 1975, Boston is fought over by two opposing gangs: the Italian Angiulo brothers in the North, and the Irish Winter Hills Gang in the South, led by Bulger. The groups' rivalry has gotten the attention of the FBI, in particular, of Bulger's childhood friend, Special Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton). Wanting a high-profile case to rise up the ranks with, Connolly re-connects with Bulger and proposes an alliance in order to take down the Italians. Bulger, adamant against looking like a "rat," is reluctant, but ultimately agrees, using the alliance to start building an empire behind-the-scenes.
Black Mass is a movie of morals, and their gatekeeper is Whitey Bulger. He lives by the law of the clan - family comes first, what's he's earned is solely his, and anyone who becomes an obstacle is rewarded with a couple bullets in the face, and arms, and back, and torso, and you get the picture. We rarely see Whitey on his own; the movie's not the kind to spew soliloquies and tell-alls. We have to rely on his relationships to dictate how we should perceive him. To John Connolly, he's like an older brother; to the cops, he's the king of the gutter rats; to his mother, he's a goofy beloved son; to the community elders, he's a respectful man who's used his gains to better the town. In this regard, Whitey is an enigma; is he a bloodthirsty psychopath or a conservative man taking all actions to maintain the ideals of his worldview? Depp's performance sells all sides; he is on fire, slinking through rage, affection, mania, and stone-cold swagger, all at the drop of a hat. Every stare-down sends chills down my spine; in my screening, these moments equate to absolute silence.
Bulger's presence is felt at all times; director Scott Cooper, in a sense, makes him Boston's Batman ( before Ben Affleck does it next March), with eyes and ears in every crevice of the city. Boston doesn't quite reach the encompassing level of character New York does in Taxi Driver, but Cooper picks good highlights to help tie the character to scenery. As the film progresses, the people around Whitey find themselves subtly influenced, even transformed by his presence. Some adopt his ruthlessness or sense of loyalty, others become fearful, even cowardly. One gets a sense that Whitey has truly engulfed the city, shrunk it to where he can hold it in the palm of his hand.
If there's something to really fault Black Mass for, it's the movie's choice of framing, which automatically gives away the ending. In the movie's defense, the American gangster movie has remained true to its story arcs since the '30s, and from The Godfather to Scarface to Goodfellas, we've seen these arcs played out repeatedly. What differentiates these films are the characters, their motivations and worldviews. Where Tony Montana searches for power and status, Whitey Bulger is a man whose sense of duty towards his way of life consumes him, dictating and justifying (at least, in his mind) every single action he takes. The whole film takes you on a descent into calculated madness, and with an Oscar nomination-worthy performance from Depp, serves as a strong start to the fall season.
Thank you all for reading; I'm the Man Without a Plan, signing off.
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