Venice Film Festival: Black Mass (2015) – United States

Reviewed by: Andrew Chan

Directed by: Scott Cooper.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard
Screenplay by: Mark Mallouk, Jez Butterworth
Cinematographer: Masanobu Takayanagi

Reviewed at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival

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Johnny Depp have a knack for creating characters and making them his very own. In director Scott Cooper’s biopic of Boston kingpin James “Whitey” Bulger, Depp both underplays and charm his way into making Bulger, a totally cold, focused, brute yet equally charismatic, genuine and realistic villain for the audience to root for. There is something about Depp’s intense “make up”, the receding hairline and devilish eyes that makes him lean, mean and deadly. Cooper is a filmmaker, who is focused on bring out characters within characters and the beau of it all is that each actor is able to shine through in a little moment of their own. Personalities, egos and charisma are all on show in “Black Mass” as Depp takes center stage in a story that shows the corroboration with his FBI buddy John Connolly as well as his rise to kingpin status in the crime city of 1970s and 80s Boston. “Black Mass” works well as a mass entertainment through its gritty, thrilling and edge of the seat pacing and innovative story telling techniques.

The story of FBI agent teaming up with crime lords is not entirely groundbreaking, but Cooper manages nail the audience interest right from the get go. Cooper uses direct and straightforward brutality like “The Departed” to portray murder at point blank range or a simple full-blooded punch. In doing so, it sets the pace for the whole film as nonsense and like Depp’s character; it gives off the, “you don’t mess with me” vibe right away. The film also manages its pacing and editing particularly well as it never overtly dwell on crucial moments. In the scene where Depp’s son dies, we get long shot of Depp unrestrained emotions and pain, smashing tables and chairs in a hospital.

In another confrontational scene, we get Depp playing with fire and threatening FBI agent John Morris (played by David Harbour) over the family “secret recipe”. These chilling moments set out the tone for the rest of the film. FBI agent John Connolly, played by Australian actor Joel Edgerton simply chews the scenery and manages to match Depp in every notion or another. His fear of being exposed, utter ambition, ego, loyalty and relationship with his wife are all there to be seen through outright emotions. This juxtapose with Depp’s sheer calmness and dead-set eyes.

All in all, “Black Mass” works because the film focuses on people, their lives and how even the worst of criminals are ultimately humans. Director Cooper is someone who appreciates cinema, film noir, the great works of Italian filmmakers and while triads and gangsters are bad news in general, Depp succeeds is giving life to a cold blooded murderer, drug dealer and pretty much everything terrible you can imagine. In the end, “Black Mass” is not going to reinvent the genre, but it understands the notion of mass entertainment and sometimes you need it. As for Depp, he is back in the game, Oscar contenders beware.
(Reviewed at 72nd Venice International Film Festival 2015, September)

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