After being reduced to the resident clown of Hollywood, Johnny Depp shows his mettle in a role that tests his magnetic appeal. Based on the life and times of Boston mobster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, Depp imbues Bulger with an irresistible charisma. He is cold-blooded and endearing at the same time making the menace a lot more visceral. Of course he has worked on his look and dentures but this time the change-over is not skin deep.
Based on the real life story, Cooper doesn’t romanticize the exploits of Bulger, who remained FBI’s prized informant for two decades helping it wipe off the Italian mafia. In turn he got the license to introduce drug and extortion rings in Boston.
The film has nothing that has not been explored in crime dramas. There are issues of loyalty and ratting. There are frictions over the issue of territory and if you cross it there are consequences. But the good thing is Cooper shows restraint. He doesn’t go for the overkill and lets the narrative and characters evolve in an ambience that is true to the disco-era of the late 70s and 80s.
On the face of it, it is like a Manmohan Desai caper, where two brothers rose from the streets of Boston. Jimmy goes on to become the drug lord while brother Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch fits the part) rises to become a state senator, a power broker. There is enough juice to be milked out here but since it is a real story, Cooper doesn’t dramatise the relationship between the two brothers. You don’t really know how the two helped each other. And what you don’t see, spur your imagination. Bulger being of Irish origin, there are undertones of racial discrimination among criminals as FBI supports him against the Italian mafia. It is these appetizing hints that keeps you invested in Black Mass .
Like Jimmy’s friend Jim Connolly (Joel Edgerton in an equally imposing performance), who despite making it to the FBI doesn’t lose the fascination for his childhood friend from the Southie. The two cut a deal and thus starts the reign of Winter Hill Gang. There is talk of Irish luck but then Bulger’s connections with Irish revolutionaries prove to be his undoing. Cooper surrounds Depp with strong support cast with Edgerton leading the pack with a performance that will be remembered during award functions.
Since it is story told in flashback with Bulger’s accomplices in the crime being interrogated, we get to understand Bulger’s personality bit by bit. It is not just the bullets, it is the way he gets under the skin of people that makes him a fascinating character. The way he ekes out the family’s secret recipe from an agent over a dinner table discussion and then describes him as a possible rat sends a shiver down the spine. The way he teases Connolly’s wife for harbouring hatred against him, it fills you with anxiety. How far this man can go? It is one of those guilty pleasures that gangster films provide and with Depp the joy is doubled.
Genre: Crime drama
Director: Scott Cooper
Cast: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Corey Stall
Bottomline: A deep character study of one of the most wanted criminals of our times.
