Summary
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.
Cast
Johnny Depp
James 'Whitey' Bulger
Joel Edgerton
John Connolly
Julianne Nicholson
Marianne Connolly
Dakota Johnson
Lindsey Cyr
Kevin Bacon
FBI Agent Charles McGuire
Benedict Cumberbatch
Billy Bulger
Peter Sarsgaard
Brian Halloran
Juno Temple
Deborah Hussey
Jesse Plemons
Kevin Weeks
David Harbour
John Morris
Adam Scott
FBI Agent Robert Fitzpatrick
Corey Stoll
Fred Wyshak
Bill Camp
John Callahan
Mark Mahoney
Mickey Maloney
Brad Carter
John McIntyre
Scott G. Anderson
Tommy King
Lonnie Farmer
DEA Agent Eric Olsen (Interrogator)
Mary Klug
Mom Bulger
Erica McDermott
Mary Bulger
Luke Ryan
Douglas Cyr
Owen Burke
Buddy Leonard
Lewis D. Wheeler
Jeremiah O'Sullivan
Billy Meleady
Joe Cahill
Jamie Donnelly
Mrs. Cody
David De Beck
Roger Wheeler
Gary Galone
State Captain
Rory Cochrane
Stephen Flemmi
James Russo
Agent Scott Gariola
Jeremy Strong
Josh Bond
Danae Nason
McGuire's Secretary
Bretton Manley
Young Boy
Berglind Jonsdottir
Anna Bjornsdottir
David Conley
Officer Flynn
Ciaran Crawford
Irish Nationalist
Thomas Philip O'Neill
FBI Wire Tech
Joey Vacchio
Joey, Big Italian
Bill Haims
Gennaro Angiulo
Anthony Molinari
Charlie McTiernan
Declan Mulvey
Charlie's Friend
Bates Wilder
Agent James
Marc Carver
Dick Lehr
Richard Donelly
Gerard O'Neill
Brian A. White
Prisoner
Peter Morse
FBI Agent
Tom Kemp
Father Mackey
Patrick M. Walsh
Michael Donahue
Naheem Garcia
DEA Agent
Kathryn A. Beauchamp
Nurse
Stephen Curran
Drug Dealer
Darin X.L. MacEachern
Drug Dealer
Cary 'Big Shug' Guy
Drug Dealer
Sean Malone
Crook
Jack Neary
Barman
Jimmy Joe Maher
Boot Shop Owner
Forry Buckingham
World Jai Alai Chairman
Danny DeMiller
Porthole Bartender
Michael F. Murphy
Porthole Customer
Alexander Cook
DEA Agent Dan Doherty
Ava Cooper
Little Mary Bulger
Stella Cooper
Kathleen Bulger
Arthur Hiou
Driver
Todd Ryan Jones
Charlie's Friend
Julie Ann Dawson
Floor Dancer (uncredited)
Fergaledgar
Trevor Williams (uncredited)
Robert E. Walsh
Sr. FBI Official (voice)
W. Earl Brown
John Martorano
Jim Powers
The Mayor
Jeff Kamps
Walker
Susan Garfield
Press Photographer
Colleen Kelly
Marion Hussey (uncredited)
Crew
Director
Scott Cooper
Book
Gerard O'Neill
Book
Dick Lehr
Screenplay
Jez Butterworth
Screenplay
Mark Mallouk
Reviews
John Chard
September 14, 2019
6
Bulger's playing us, making a fool of the Bureau. We're in too deep, and he knows it! God help us all.
Black Mass is the story of Whitey Bulger (Johnny Depp), who was the brother of a state senator and the infamous violent leader of South Boston's Winter Hill Gang. It charts his criminal activities and his subsequent dealings with the FBI.
Directed by Scott Cooper, Black Mass is one of those instances where a great lead performance deserves a better over all film. Depp literally inhabits the role of Bulger in a fully formed perf that reminds us of what a fine actor he can be. Unfortunately the edgy material to hand never really ignites in filmic form. Maybe we were spoilt by the offerings of Coppola and Scorsese previously? For this comes off as a cheap imitation of far greater films, with the crafters of the pic giving us something of a caricature piece.
Although compelling as a lead character study, much of the narrative is rendered as playing it safe, putting emotive heart where it doesn't belong. Most of the support characters, and key to the story, are under developed, while the pace is decidedly attention sapping and not adroitly understated. Nevertheless, we do get good acting perfs to support Depp, notably Joel Edgerton as corrupt FBI agent John Connolly, while Masanobu Takayanagi's (Hostiles) cinematography is delicate of moody hues.
There's a fascinating story trying to get out of this, but the 15 year wait to get it to screen hasn't been worth it. There's some truly electric scenes, but they are few and far between, which gives us ultimately just a compact and safe piece of gangster film making. 5/10
Media
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$53,000,000.00
Revenue:
$99,975,678.00
