Director Scott Cooper
Starring Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson
Rated MA
Score 5/6

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

Before we get to fair into things there is a couple of things that you might want to know, the movie Black Mass is based on the book Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil’s Deal by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill and James “Whitey” Bulger formed the basis for the character Frank Costello played by Jack Nicholson in Martin Scorsese’s 2006 movie The Departed. It should also be noted that Bulger denied Depp’s requests to speak to him multiple times.
I suppose the deal that existed between the FBI and James “Whitey” Bulger has been filed under ‘something that seemed like a good idea at the time’. Even though this only the third feature directed by Scott Cooper Black Mass is definitely a movie that you need to make the time to go and see Black Mass at your friendly neighbourhood cinema because it really would not surprise me if this has earnt Johnny Depp an Academy Award best Actor’s nomination.
Its pretty clear that consideration was given to the size of cinema drinks and the length of time that one can sit in a cinema sit before their butt goes to sleep (though granted with a wheelchair I do have a tendency to bring my seat everywhere I go) therefore Black Mass wasn’t the epic tale of the rise and fall of James “Whitey” Bulger but a small part of me can’t help but wonder how much of the truth was told considering that Black Mass told from a police interview room in a series of interviews with gangsters for their immunity.