User Reviews

"Black Mass" makes little effort to dig deep into its subject and is never as quite riveting, but Johnny Depp's gripping centerpiece performance and Cooper's direction make it an entertaining watch. Technically, it's a well made film all around with nice looking cinematography and direction that avoids being generic. Scott Cooper does a great job of looking at a dark side of Boston through the eyes of James "Whitey" Bulger and his community with a brilliant supporting cast and very tense moments. Johnny Depp is terrifying, commanding, and unpredictable in his screen presence. He seems only to know the life of power in getting what he wants. Depp is transformed here, and it's a bit of a shame that the film doesn't get far inside his head because we know the actor is already there. Joel Edgerton plays as big a character as Depp does as an FBI agent forming an alliance with Bulger. Edgerton is excellent in showing his character constantly bluff to keep the deal afloat. The dialogue is often tense and keeps the film engaging. The pacing is patient, letting the film sizzle throughout, but never picks up the way it lends us to believe it may. The screenwriters lacked interest in dissecting any of these potentially very interesting characters in favor of a surface-level story that shows the events well enough, but doesn't provoke any afterthought.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Amazing performance from Depp. It's scary how he always manages to give you a front role seat into the minds of these real life people.

Une sorte de saga criminelle du pauvre, très pauvre et très éloignée des (rares, certes) références dans le genre mais tout de même : qu'est-ce que c'est mauvais ! je dirai que c'est criminel de faire un film pareil, aussi nul à chier dans tous les compartiments, où que l'on regarde... La mise en scène est molle, le scénario est ramolli et surtout prétexte à des bavardages futiles et insignifiants à peine dignes d'une série télé à deux balles ; le film entier pédale dans le choucroute, s'égare en poncifs et pendant ce temps, on commence à roupiller d'ennui... Jonny Depp, ce bon vieux Johnny n'est pas si vieux, loin de là... il fait partie de ces acteurs qui ont toujours fait plus jeune que leur âge, alors il a fallu le grimer pour qu'il ressemble à un ringard d'ex-taulard mais c'est peine perdue : il a juste l'air d'un con et son jeu s'avère très décevant. On voit bien qu'il est dépassé par le rôle et mal dirigé. Pourtant, il avait démontré dans Blow qu'il pouvait jouer les mauvais garçons mais ici de toute façon, rien ne va : un ratage complet qu'il vaut mieux mettre au placard ou plutôt... dans une grande poubelle.

An really Interesting Movie. Its like an small Gangster Movie. The Movie wouldn't have worked if the Main Protagonist Actor ****, but it worked. These are the kinds of Role i want to See Johnny Depp in. He takes the Role as the Protagonist and Antagonist he pushes the Story and you can see that the people around him are Scared in his **** interesting Script and the tension that the Movie creates made the Movie worth my Time.

Decent visuals but very clichéd and Johnny Depp is in full caricature mode.

Action, tension, bad*** protagonist, very interesting script and exciting development. I'm always curious what is it about criminals, that drive us crazy and make us somehow delight them. That's just the loyalty they have to their 'partners', the confidence and the courage mostly 'non criminal' people don't have. Johny Depp's performance is like always outstanding.

before we start.. Black Mass There is enough darkness in the lead character to give you goosebumps as you cringe yourself on the seat and luckily Johnny justifies it as he empowers each and every actor and character in this throwback of 70-80's old gangsta drama.before we start.. Black Mass There is enough darkness in the lead character to give you goosebumps as you cringe yourself on the seat and luckily Johnny justifies it as he empowers each and every actor and character in this throwback of 70-80's old gangsta drama.

Black Mass plays like a documentary. It follows certain characters, and explains the inner workings of the Irish Mob and the FBI. But this isn't a documentary, it's a crime drama. In a documentary, the interest comes from seeing the actual historical evidence of the story. In a film, you have to do more, and I never felt that Black Mass had anything of its own to say about Whitey Bulger, the Mob, or the FBI.

An inspired performance from Depp helps to cement this film as one of the best gangster films of recent years. Equally violent and heartfelt when it wants to be. Sadly, the film jumps around too much for Whitey Bulger's story to be told with any real authority.

I mostly liked this movie which is lesser than Scorsese and Coppola but determined to carve out its own terms. I've never been a Depp fan and he's no Nicholson but, again, I can't dismiss his performance. (It helps that the whole cast is very good.) The great organized crime flicks tend to be operatic; this, deliberately, is not. Is it therefore not great? Maybe, but it's an exceptionally watchable 2 hours. And the morning after I'm still thinking about it.

Think this is underated. I think if it had been anyone other than Jonny Depp in the lead role it would have been much more warmly received. I dislike Depp too but he's very good in this, it's a gangster classic as far as I'm concerned.

The problem with Black Mass is that the scenes are so short it never really allows the characters to breathe and let the audience get to know them. The time jumps around too. It's as if someone really wanted to say everything they know about Whitey Bulger and never slowed down because they only had so much time to say it. The whole movie is cut like a news reel with each snippet getting across only it's simple intended themes. Characters come and go so quickly as if they don't really matter. The dark mood is pounded into your head so thoroughly that you never form any trust with anyone making the entire affair distant and ineffectual. That said, the costumes are done well.

This movie definitely did not impress me. The story lacks focus, the writing takes an interesting story and leaves A LOT to be desired, the cinematography was dark and gritty merely for being dark and gritty's sake, and there is WAY too many "LOOK AT ME I'M ACTING" performances. Definitely not Johnny Depp's best work. There was a lot of wasted potential in this movie.

It's dark, dull, and boring. A lot of dark backgrounds and dark scenes. Even the music is dark. A lot of dark-sounding strings music. The soundtrack sounds like a funeral dirge. Scenes are so literally under-lit that it makes you want to turn on a lamp. Dark cinematography. Depp looks ridiculous and despite heavy make-up effects still doesn't look at all like Whitey Bulger. Different facial structures. There is no real character development in the script. From this movie I learned nothing new about Bulger. Nothing about how he became this person, his life before the events in the film, the nature of his personal relationships, how he became leader of his gang, his upbringing or anything else. It is an empty film with boring dialogue mixed with excessive profanity and occasional violence. The very few occasions when somebody gets killed are the only thing to keep you from sleeping. They don't explain in any depth the events that transpire in the film, and a viewer could easily get lost. They never fully explain who his brother was, so the one scene with him served no purpose at all. If you want to give this film a chance, do so with a cup of coffee. I almost dozed off numerous times. Ho-hum.

This movie tries real hard to come off as a decent mob flick, but almost misses its point. One major problem is casting an actor like Johnny Depp to play a mobster. Another is the blatant inaccuracy of the portrayed 1970s and 1980s Boston life. I won't debate on either because I think it's rather a case of personal appreciation, just mentioning that taken aside, these are two problems worsening the overall enjoyability of this film. What struck me completely, though, is how it takes its viewers for complete idiots. First, they're showing us a cartoon-cardboard cutout "cop" supposedly too soft on Bulger, who ends up torn apart between two worlds. The guy, however, is a total goof, as to wonder how he even managed to get that job. He has 0 way of talking to criminals, he treats Bulger like some grand persona (translating it to "family" by the numbwitted scriptwriters), then he ends up being screwed (wow, what a surprise!). Then there's that scene where Depp asks his partner how he cooked up the chicken, and even though the guy first says "it's a secret", he ends up revealing it and then Depp makes a scene. The whole thing is laughable at best. I mean, only a moron would be intimidated by words like "you just sold me your secret, so you're unreliable". LMFAO. This guy is "friends" with Depp's character, that's one thing, another is he can actually stand up for himself and call Depp a diffamator. He doesn't He just sits there with a stupid facial expression. Depp then proceeds upstairs and starts hitting on the idiot's wife for some reason, and again, she just takes it. C'mon, have you no balls? Or is Bulger supposed to be portrayed as intimidating at this point in the film? Because I didn't see him evolve like this a single bit even since his obnoxious peanuts remark. So yeah, this movie may have been an okay addition to something Godfather-like, instead, it puts too much emphasis on something that's never there, misses the point and come off **** the viewer's brain. No clue how it ever gotten such a high score...

A compelling turn by Joel Edgerton and Depp's best cinematic performance in years give Black Mass an extra level of intrigue that lifts it above average crime thriller status.

I expected to much off this movie like a blind date, it didn't romance me but it had its moments. Sometimes hype can kill the anticipation. Black Mass was like a layer of onions being peeled back. Usually you have some admiration for the villain like Hannibal, The Joker in Batman or Loki from Thor, but Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger makes you cringe and makes you wish for his demise. Even Tony Soprano had some likable qualities.

....................................................................................................................aN Entertaining Mob movie without shootouts common in the genre, Depp razes Here

..................................................................................................................................................A Great Mob movie

A Great Movie, No too great like Scarface (1983), But efficient enough to have the highest note, in his own harmony the movie works, Johnny Depp Gave us a great, and commited performance.....

-A screen adaptation of a true American Irish Mob story with a beautiful interpretation of Johnny Depp. -The film follows the criminal career of infamous Irish-American mobster Whitey Bulger (Depp). -Black Mass received generally positive reviews; particular praise was given to Depp's performance. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 75% based on 236 reviews and an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Black Mass spins a gripping yarn out of its fact-based story – and leaves audiences with one of Johnny Depp's most compelling performances in years." On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 68 out of 100 based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

I always enjoy asking my wife who is that actor. She's always surprised when I say it's Capt. Jack. Okay, I remember reading about Whitey being captured, but living in LA, had no idea who he was. The back story on this is amazing, or sad, since the knuckleheads worked for the FBI. I've worked for the Federal government all my life and we always complain about how poorly it's run, but this was an eye opener.

Quite frankly, on the way the movie is made and the story is told, there is not much to it. It is really not that investing or intriguing and the plot feels a bit discombobulated. What saves the day for this film is Johnny Depp's extraordinary performance, the pretty neat score and a dark and raw cinematography that makes the movie feel dirty and disgustingly violent.

While not the best Johnny Depp movie I've ever seen, it still manages to hold what they call it... greatness... onto the film. Highly enjoyable based on your opinion.

Johnny Depp puts on a capable performance as Bulger, and the film's dramatic story and harrowing musical score make Black Mass a good movie, if not a slightly forgettable one.

A fresh and brutal gangster movie, based on the true life story of fugitive James Whitey Bulger, that really should earn Johnny Depp a best actor nomination at the Oscars. This one is a really brutal film that really gets down to the truth behind the gangster lifestyle and everyone looks dirty by the end of the film with its brilliant all star cast.however, it really can be quite overbearing and leaves a bit of bad taste in your mouth but in a good way.

Very usual movie, Bad in the narrative, Directed not bad, There are a many things Should depth on it like The Italians for example and the wife !! Johnny Depp Was good

One of the greatest movies of the year. I know I sound like a critic saying that, but it's true. It was great. The story was great. The pacing was great. The acting was great. Johnny Depp better get an Oscar or I'll **** bricks and then throw those bricks at the people in the Academy. The direction was great. The dialogue was great. The costumes were great. Everything about the movie was literally great.

Watching Johnny Depp in a genuinely different role was delightful. Sadly, though, none of the supporting characters are as interesting or transcendent as Whitey Bulger's, therefore the movie in itself feels more like an uninspired Goodfellas than anything else.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

EXCELLENT!! One of the best gangster movies of our day! On par with Goodfellas, never thought I would say that, as truly an epic! Great acting, Depp plays Bulger scaringly brilliant and actor who plays John Connolly SUPERB!!! Truly great film

A rather one note modern gangster drama in which the acting is far better than the material deserves. Johnny Depp gives a more grounded and less hammy performance than one has become accustomed to in his roles of recent years, but the material resolutely refuses to provide much emotional resonance whatsoever. Joel Edgerton is saddled with an irritating character and the film demands constant, but hard won, concentration to keep up with what is going on. Depp's make up is fantastic and the actor is almost unrecognisable. However, when you've said that you've exhausted all other possible points of interest in this disappointing and flatly conceived true story. 'Goodfellas' it 'aint.

Watch a 2 hour long biopic about notorious crime lord James Bulger alongside a nicely chosen cast for the most part. Entertaining although the pacing is a bit chaotic. It's been quite a long time since I've seen a Johnny Depp film that didn't make me want to tear my hair out, and Black Mass has just reminded us that yes Johnny Depp can still give a memorable and watchable performance, although he hasn't given one since 2009 (that's right I checked). Depp really channels his inner Joe Pesci for this intense performance, made all the more psychotic with his blue contacts. Recommended.

Johnny Depp gives a strong performance in a movie that is made pretty well. Even though based on a true story, the film plays out like most gangster films with people being brutally murdered left and right. In the end Black Mass holds its ground with a strong lead

This movie is absolutely amazing! If you like intense criminal movies with conspiracies, you don't want to miss this one! Boring at times and predictable but still - amazing!

Okay, this movie was in that suspense mode at all times and it was pretty decent to see Johnny Depp playing another character and killed it like always. 'Black Mass' is a thrilling sensation but it doesn't deliver the madness that I wanted to see, it was mostly the intense scenes and the violent acts in this movie. Loved the Bulger vibe and Johnny delivers big time but this movie didn't as much as I wanted to see. Good story and great acting.

Although Depp is the main character in this story (based on true events), I think it was his co -stars that make this movie go as well as it did. Running over two hours, Depp's character continues to evolve but little can be noticed in the way he acts. Further, given the time frame of the movie, I think a greater sound track could have carried emotions further for the viewer. All in all, this is worth a watch, but not to keep in your movie collection.

Black Mass ist ein Gangster-Film, indem Johnny Depp als Jimmy Whitey Bulger eine tolle Performance abliefert, genau wie Joel Edgerton und Benedict Cumberbatch. Der Film ist brutal, Jimmy beseitigt alle die ihm im Weg stehen seine Geschäfte zu machen. John Connolly, ein alter Freund von Jimmy arbeitet als Fbi-Agent und bietet Jimmy eine Partnerschaft an um eine Mafia Bande zu stellen, doch Jimmys gewaltvolle Taten fliegen mehr und mehr auf... Black Mass hat eine tolle Kameraführung und Shots, gute Schauspieler, jedoch einige Längen und keine originelle Story

I have been looking forward for this movie since I saw the first trailer, Johnny Depp in a truely dark roll, I couldn't wait and wasn't disappointed. This movie follows the true story of one of South Bostons most notorious violent criminals, Whitey Bulger (Johnny Depp), the brother of State Senator Billy Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch), who makes a deal with a longtime friend and now FBI agent John Connoly (Joel Edgerton) to help him rise to the top of South Boston. The story is told through the confessions of members of Bulger's crew in prison right from the beginning, this allows the audience to see the whole story of Whitey Bulgers rise from an inside persepective. It's hard to believe this is a true story, but it seems to check out overall and keep to the facts for the most part. The casting is eerily spot on for some of the characters, adding to , Depp for instance not only looks like Bulger, he completely becomes the murdering sociopathic gangster with high aspirations. Notions of persepective and loyalty are played with through the horrors through this movie, I was riveted for the full 2 hours as it played out. An absolute must see.

I was largely disappointed with the film. It felt like it could have been so much more than an excuse for the makeup department and Johnny Depp to show off their collective talent, which is considerable no doubt. However the movie fell flat when it came time for the audience to give a damn about anything that was going on on the screen. It seemed like each scene was just another excuse for Depp to look more menacing. By the end of it, it felt like I was watching a vampire story in Boston starring Depp. I could never suspend my disbelief and the movie suffered for it.

I expected to much off this movie like a blind date, it didn't romance me but it had its moments. Sometimes hype can kill the anticipation. Black Mass was like a layer of onions being peeled back. Usually you have some admiration for the villain like Hannibal, The Joker in Batman or Loki from Thor, but Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger makes you cringe and makes you wish for his demise. Even Tony Soprano had some likable qualities.

Johnny Depp! You know what Depp called in German? Exactly what he has done in recent years: namely as an overtightened PeeWeeHerman staggering across the canvas. And Black Mass does not make it better! Three kilos of putty to make the last few years is not undone. Alone this whole make-up makes him untrustworthy in this movie! Totally unreal, what is not on the character. Can actors he now or not (no longer)? Does he Paste is to simulate expression? Then that's gone mighty awry. I find this millionaires should be drawn from the film business and let ambitious successors such roles. Depp looks tired, listless, arrogant and at most still doggedly, but not talented, and not with the soul at work. Probably they also swallow the cost of production could use a project elsewhere well as requsite, buildings etc. I was very disappointed, once again! Luckily I waurde invited. I would have otherwise never invested from my own pocket a penny. Certainly a good movie ... without Johnny Depp!

Johnny Depp stars as notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, whose position as an FBI informant and brother of a Massachusetts state senator gave him virtual carte blanche to commit shocking crimes on the way to becoming a Boston crime Kingpin in the 70’s & 80’s, director Scott Cooper’s (Crazy Heart) take on the shocking true story of one of the most infamous criminals in American history. Depp’s penchant for personal transformation is taken to a new level with one of his most accomplished performances ever, and certainly his most chilling, as Irish/American crime boss and borderline sociopath “Whitey” Bulger. His physical transformation is striking enough but primarily serves to convincingly put Depp into the disturbing mindspace of a character that might seem exaggerated or one dimensional, until you learn about the real man himself. Since its September US release, ‘Black Mass’ has garnered mixed reviews in part at least to people’s expectations of a “gangster” drama and the fact that this film doesn’t exactly toe that line. The pace is often slow and deliberate with scenes of character drama and near-forensic storytelling broken up by graphic violence and the odd darkly comic moments. A major factor is also the fact that ‘Black Mass’ is not a gangster drama from the Martin Scorsese school of filmmaking, i.e. violently flamboyant and often comedic which builds to an ultimate payoff where loose ends are tied up, which has resulted in some of the greatest films ever made including ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘The Departed’, itself loosely based on the “Whitey” Bulger story. Instead this film is more a more nuanced study of character and society and a faithful representation of a real & recent story based on the book by Boston Globe reporters **** Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. For us the result is not a lesser Gangster film but simply a different kind of “Mob” drama and more of a real-life Crime tragedy that’s no less engrossing. Black Mass is a fascinating and dark exploration of corruption and loyalty, a frank look at the tribal ties that often extend from local criminals to law enforcement and beyond, and a different angle on the timeless concept of “Honour Among Thieves”. The Bottom Line… Boasting a standout performance from Johnny Depp and flawless supporting cast led by Joel Edgerton, ‘Black Mass’ is a more measured Gangster drama than you might expect but no less enthralling, a fascinating depiction of one of the dark corners of recent American history.

This movie is a solid "ehh." Now that's not *bad*, but it's certainly not good, also. I would describe this as a good Netflix Saturday "don't have anything to do" kind of movie. It's a little tedious towards the middle, but so are many Netflix movies. The ending certainly ends on a whimper too, we see little of Bulger on the lam, as it were. I mean the guy was a mile from FBI headquarters in LA for 10+ years and nada! What can you do. Depp is bizarre looking and a total and utter distraction. He should drop all this makeup pretense he uses to cover up for his somnambulant acting, but I digress. Netflix night only.

Scott Cooper has managed to do what so many films before have failed. Make a film based on a True story intriguing and scary, quite literally, all the way through. This has got to be one of the better Mobster movies of the last 10 years. Only two other major favourites for me would be ‘Lawless’ with Tom Hardy and Shia Lebeouf and previous to that was ‘Road to Perdition’ starring Tom Hanks. The previous entry from Depp in this genre would have been ‘Public Enemies’, which was rather disappointing. Thankfully here it is also based on a true story. The film opens up with one of Whitey’s closest allies/friends giving information to the FBI on the now fugitive man. It is a brilliant start that makes you want to find out more and more. **** you right in from the get go. The first time we see Depp’s ‘Jimmy Bulger’ we get a true sense of fear that others would have felt at the time. Telling one of his colleagues not to place his dirty, filthy, bacteria infested hands back into the peanuts on the table was enough for me to not want any nuts for a while. This man was horrifying. From small time crook with a beautiful girlfriend and a small child of his own, into one of Boston’s biggest and most violent criminals of our time. What makes the film even more engrossing as it goes on is the relationships between the FBI’s leading man John Connelly, played by the brilliant Joel Edgerton. From the moment he gives this man some information, the rest of the film has you on the edge of your seat. Another great performance also comes from the, then, state senator and brother of Whitey, Billy Bulger played by Benedict Cumberbatch. The things this man had to ignore to be a good father and a decent politician was incredible. Another big note to add to the long list of actors in this film is Dakota Johnson, hot on the heels of her performance in Fifty Shades of Grey, shows us here that there is really big things coming for her career. Some great scenes for her in this film almost out shine Depp’s at one point. Jesse Plemens (Breaking Bad) who plays Whitey’s Bodyguard/Muscle is also stunning to watch and I hope we see him in more to come. The Composer for this film is worth mentioning as the depth of the score when the times arise for it, makes for an even more frightening thriller. Tom Holkenborg who recently scored Mad Max Fury Road and co collaborated on Man of Steel and the upcoming Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice. He does a great job and never floods the film with too much at once. If you love anything to do with crime in the 1980’s and brilliant Boston accents this movie is the Drama/Thriller of the year so far. Nothing has quite come close to this genre for a while with the scope this does. Johnny Depp truly deserves his nominations here. That make up makes him look terrifying which just creates even more tension on screen every time he shows up. Just be warned this is a brutally violent film and hold no punches back. Not for the faint of heart. Go and see Black Mass before it does the unthinkable and leaves the cinema too early.

All round this is a great movie. Depp plays his character very well and they have made him look really creepy, but actually resembles the real character very well. Also the supporting cast are great. I was interested from start to finish and thought that if anything it could have been longer as i didn't want it to end. I really liked it but it is my kind of movie. Definatly watch if you liked Donnie Brasco, Scarface, Departed etc

Not new. I've seen this. Depp already played this role at least 2 times, with more or less the same story, mafia, police, arrests.... blah blah blah. :/ disappointed.

Compelling and considered, this was better than expected. The performances were brilliant, Depp was exceptional, bringing subtlety and iciness to the portrayal of Bulger. The storyline was engaging, and whilst the pacing could have been better, the style of the cinematography and the dialogue were well executed. A fascinating insight into 1980's crime in Boston that is worth your time. 8.02/10

If for no other reason see this movie for Johnny Depp's psychotic performance as Whitey Bulger the notorious Irish Boston mobster of the 70's & 80's. Whenever Mr. Depp is on the screen you have a very nervous ache in the pit of your stomach. He most definitely will get an Academy Nomination for this role as he is back big time. The other actors are good; but, when John is on the screen he suffocates all around him as he is that good. Don't miss this performance.