Black Mass

The world of blue-collar Boston crime dramas is familiar to moviegoers by now, yet Black Mass manages to give a fresh glimpse into Southie territory.

It’s a gritty and evocative biopic about notorious crime lord James “Whitey” Bulger, whose reluctant alliance with an ethically challenged FBI agent during the 1970s leads to complications – both expected and unexpected – on each side.

In the film, Bulger (Johnny Depp) is released from prison to continue ruling the Irish mob that has controlled the city’s south side for decades. He has uneasy relationships with his wife (Dakota Johnson) and his younger brother (Benedict Cumberbatch), a state senator who steers clear of Bulger’s penchant for racketeering, extortion, drug smuggling and more.

As Bulger’s power and influence grows, so does the size of the target on his back, not only from the feds, but from Italian gangsters on the opposite side of town. Citing their mutual enemy, Bulger forges an alliance with John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), an impressionable agent assigned to bring him down. His hope is to manipulate investigators into thinking he’s helping them.

Depp transforms himself physically and verbally, but his performance is more than just makeup and an accent. He brings depth to a complex true-life character who is ruthless and intimidating. Even as he hints at a softer side, Bulger is cool and calculating, and doesn’t have much patience for anyone who doesn’t share his agenda. The supporting cast likewise is excellent.

As directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart), the film is immersed in Boston gangster culture, where brutal and uncompromising violence contrasts with a sympathetic working-class Irish Catholic milieu. Cops, politicians and neighbors tend to look the other way when it comes to rampant corruption, betrayal, bribery and backdoor deals.

That stems from deep-rooted loyalty, which is the central theme here. And although it’s hardly revelatory, it raises some intriguing questions about blind faith at the expense of law-abiding integrity.

The screenplay might have benefited from a tighter focus. It’s heavy on exposition and sometimes lacks narrative urgency in the process, yet ratchets up the tension in the second half, when things get tight for both Bulger and Connolly.

At its core, Black Mass is about the relationship between those two men, and while it’s difficult to find a rooting interest amid their moral vacuum, their battle of wits and weapons remains compelling.

Rated R, 122 minutes.