Depp depth!

Johnson Thomas

A biopic on one of America’s most reviled gangsters, Whitey Bulger, ‘Black Mass’ has Johnny Depp stepping into the gangster’s habit with all the skill. Whitey was the brother of a state senator (played with supreme conviction by Benedict Cummerbatch) and was convinced to wear a wire on underhand dealings with the Italian Mafia (after they invaded his turf), by his childhood friend John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), a sort of golden boy for the FBI. 

Whitey starts off as the leader of a two-bit South Boston Irish criminal gang in1975 with a hair-trigger temper and violent inclinations that get him into trouble with the larger, more dangerous Italian mob. As a result, he ends up being targeted by the Mafia for elimination and decides to undermine their influence by trucking with the FBI. 

The narrative is about the dastardly dealings of this criminal and there is very little room for character development or depth, for that matter.  While the traits and aptitude for the kill is recorded with alacrity and ease by Johnny Depp, there is not much understanding about the character or the motivations and deprivations that led him to this end.

The narrative’s shortcomings notwithstanding, this film is remarkable for getting Johnny Depp back into the groove for a challenging role and could herald the coming of better performances from this much-loved actor.