‘Black Mass’ Delivers Award-worthy Acting

Story by Adam WinnStaff writer

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros Johnny Depp, portraying real-life infamous criminal James Bulger, stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in a new crime drama.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros
Johnny Depp, portraying real-life infamous criminal James Bulger, stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in a new crime drama.

Audience members that want to see a crime drama full of immaculate performances, a superb script and spot on editing, look no further.

Viewers of the newly released film, “Black Mass,” should be prepared to watch a movie that is of award-worthy status and that will keep you entranced days after being watched.

The movie is based on the true story, and book with the same name, surrounding the crime lord and brother of  a state senator, James “Whitey” Bulger, and all of the crimes  he committed in South Boston.

The story continues to tell of how an FBI agent named John Connolly, who grew up knowing Whitey, begins to destructively immerse his entire life into Bulger’s nonstop crime spree, blurring the lines between what’s right and wrong in the process.

The film incorporates a mostly dark overtone to its storyline.

There are quick moments of comedic relief, but these moments are usually cut short by the film’s overall dismal plot. 

One graphic scene involves Whitey Bulger murdering an informant who betrayed him in a business parking lot in the middle of the day with an automatic machine gun, while the man pleads for his life.

This film contains a well-known ensemble cast comprised of Johnny Depp, Kevin Bacon, Joel Edgerton of the recently reviewed “The Gift,” Benedict Cumberbatch of the “Sherlock” series, and Dakota Johnson of “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

The film also stars actor W. Earl Brown, who was born and raised here in Murray.

In this film he plays the supporting role of John Martorano, who was a friend of Whitey’s and also a notorious hitman for the Winter Hill Gang. 

Brown has also starred in films such as the thriller “Scream” and the drama “Wild” alongside actress Reese Witherspoon.

The best quality about this movie was its award-worthy acting, but out of all of these nearly perfect performances, the spotlight is definitely stolen by Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Whitey Bulger.

His performance is one of his best in recent years.

Depp immersed himself into his role to the point that it gives the audience cold chills.

The storyline is pretty solid, with a running time of a little more than two hours.

The script does a good job of holding the audience’s attention for the length of the film.

There are some scenes that felt a little dragged, but these minor flaws don’t end up hurting the movie.

The movie’s style and tone has recently been compared to other popular gangster crime films, such as “The Departed” and “Goodfellas.”

This movie constantly has viewers’ curiosity peaked and wondering what’s going to happen next.

The film currently holds a firmly high rating of 8 out of 10 stars on IMDB, and an 80 percent audience score on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

Don’t be surprised to hear about this film possibly being nominated for several huge awards in the near future.

The acting is great, the story line is dark and enjoyable, and the editing was amazing.

This is definitely a film movie lovers won’t want to miss.

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