Black Mass

By: Robert Murphy

I don't know how many kids have ever had that classic bully moment from TV shows where you're on the playground and the school house thug comes over to you to pick a fight. You're the resident weakling and have no chance of winning the fight so as you lay there getting the beating of the century, you wish for someone to come and help you. That someone was James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp). But, Black Mass isn't about the kid who came to save your skin all those years ago, it's about the scrawny kid that grew up to be a big time FBI agent with a hero complex from that one good deed Bulger did for you back when you were young. That kids name is John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) who is a native South Boston or "Southie" son who is now a big name in the FBI agent and seeks to repay the good nature of the man who saved his skin all those years ago. South Boston was a tight knit community and no matter where you end up, you don't forget what people did for you. Although John may have gone above in beyond for his childhood hero.

Now, I am from the country and yes we all are pretty close to one another around here because of it being a small area/community but I still won't pretend to understand the type of bond that the people of South Boston apparently shared. Right from the very first scene of Black Mass there is an underlined bond and understanding among everyone who lives in this area and so it is understandable why Whitey Bulger hates the Italian mob ruling over the predominantly Irish community that he and others grew up in and are so close to one another in as well. Knowing this, Connolly forms an alliance with Bulger so they can work together to remove the Italian mob from Southie once and for all, one believing he is serving justice as well as repaying a debt while the other uses this connection to take control of South Boston for himself. This would lead to what is known as the FBI's biggest blunders of all time as Bulger runs amok for twenty years, killing, running drugs and becoming the underground ruler for the area while the FBI covered it up. 

Whitey Bulger and to a larger extent Johnny Depp gave a haunting presence on screen. The first moment you meet him you know that he is a force to be reckoned with before he even utters one word. His is a character that is cold and decisive with every move he makes and it is wrong to underestimate him as the Italian mob often seemed to do. Most of the time we see Bulger punishing his own subordinates more than we see him taking down his enemies but that's because he didn't need to raise a finger while the FBI took out his competition. Nonetheless, the way his character weeded out any type of deception or dissension in his ranks further proved how dangerous a man he was and why he garnered so much respect as a feared crime lord. 

Outside of this, the first portion of the movie shows the lighter years of Bulgers life as he spends time with his son and mother in between all the violence and bloodshed. These were the moments that depicted the bonds that people in this area shared and how they were all about family and friends. Also, it shows why such a successful FBI agent with a promising future might go so far for someone he hadn't seen in years. Whatever the case, these lighter moments were a nice touch to the overall story especially when they included Bulger's brother William Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch) who rose to fame in a different way. William was a big name in the Senate and was a well respected man for the area in a much more legal way. The movie does make a point of separating the two though in terms of Whitey's illegal activities and even though the relationship between the two is quite a good one, it made me skeptical of how involved the two were with one another. 

Now, in the very beginning of this review I said that this story was not about Whitey Bulger and in many ways it isn't meant to be, it is however suppose to be about John Connolly's rise and fall to fame. The reason I have left him out for the greater portion of the review is because his was the least appealing character of all, rivaling the stifled performance of David Harbour as John's co-conspirator in all of this, John Morris. Connolly's role starts off on a somewhat good note as he is introduced as this upcoming star for the agency and it even continues to be great as Bulger helps him take down the Italian mob and they all get what they want. This however is where Bulger and Connolly's relationship should have ended, it is insanely obvious that Bulger is just using Connolly to get what he wants but he continues to support and protect him. There are later scenes that depict Connolly going so far as to forge information about Bulger's intel to the FBI but why exactly he does it is beyond me. After the Italian mob is taken down the two's relationship should have ended but instead it continues to be dragged out until the chickens finally come home to roost and Connolly is arrested.

The entire ordeal is done quite poorly as John never quite figures out what type of character he wants to be, does he want to be a good guy and clean up Boston or does he want to role around town with Bulger and his crew? This goes back to the underline "bond" that is supposedly present and in many regards Black Mass does a great job of pointing this out but for everyone else besides Bulger and Connolly. Other characters in the movie also point this out, the head of the FBI Charles McGuire (Kevin Bacon) has some less than tasteful ways to describe Connolly's affection for Bulger but his wife also makes a point to question why exactly he cares so much for this deranged mad man.

All of this aside, Black Mass was a wonderfully dark drama. It is not the same as what I expected it to be when I thought of a mobster movie and in many ways it does not play out like a traditional mobster movie does but rather it goes into a personal examination of how people act and behave in closely tied communities. There is plenty of gritty and pulse pounding moments that are handled by Depp's Whitey Bulger but there is a much closer look into people's behavior than you might expect. There are the bonds between Bulger and his community, his family but especially the bond he made all those years ago with Connolly that affect everyone in the story. If handled better, I think the relationship between Bulger and Connolly could have been an interesting portion to the movie but really Connolly becomes a back seat performer to a Bulger performance.

Good:

- Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger 

- Huge star studded cast of great actors and actresses

- Insight into the behavior of people in this era and community

Bad:

- Edgerton's entire role and the hero worship he has for Bulger

- Could have bigger moments for Bulger since he stole the show

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10