By Muhammad Muzammal
Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor
Scott Cooper’s “Black Mass” is an engrossing, gangster epic that places James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) in the backseat of its quick-paced narrative.
Sporting the look of a cold Leonardo Dicaprio, Depp plays South Boston’s most brutal criminal. In the film, Bulger is brother to the former Massachusetts state senator Billy Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch) and is childhood friends with John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), former FBI agent based in the town.
“Black Mass” follows Bulger’s notorious rise from a small-time street gangster to kingpin of Boston. With the help of Connolly, Bulger keeps an alliance with the FBI for several years, giving the federal agency valuable information on the Italian mafia and in turn, receiving immunity so long as he would not murder anyone. Through the film’s flashback narrative we watch Bulger as the people around him view him.
This style keeps the audience from viewing “Black Mass” as a biopic. Instead, it is an account of a man’s rise to a high status in the gangster world that surrounded him, as seen through the eyes of disturbed onlookers.
As Bulger rises up, innocent characters die off quickly. In one unsettling scene, Bulger grabs the teenage stepdaughter (a recently arrested prostitute) of one of his associates and chokes her until she takes her last breath. This violent act instills fear in his associates and demonstrates his power.
As Bulger continued to build his empire through murder, it became frustrating to watch the FBI, specifically John Connolly, do nothing about Bulger’s deadly growth. As informants from separate agencies chose to join Bulger’s crew, they were killed off. The non-penalty for these murders was to stick the case under the table, courtesy of Connolly, who loyally completed favors for his childhood friend.
“Black Mass” is an accomplished work. However, there should be more room to display the suffering embedded in this story. Bulger’s scenes in his home life, with his young son Douglas (Luke Ryan) and girlfriend Lindsey (Dakota Johnson), are touching but out of place. They are a telling of Bulger’s character, rather than a showing.
A more complete version of “Black Mass” could also provide insight on the relationship between brothers Billy and James. They are an unlikely pair; the two brothers could not be more different despite coming from the same house in the same rough neighborhood. That alone could make for an entire film.
Whatever the case, “Black Mass” is a worthy watch. Unlike various recent gangster films, this film goes for a different aesthetic. The film creates Bulger not just as a dangerous figure, but as an untouchable monster.