Black Mass | Rotten Tomatoes

Black Mass

R

Released Sep 18, 2015

2 hr. 2 min.

Biography

Crime

Drama

List

73%

292 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

While his brother Bill (Benedict Cumberbatch) remains a powerful leader in the Massachusetts Senate, Irish hoodlum James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) continues to pursue a life of crime in 1970s Boston. Approached by FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), the lawman convinces Whitey to help the agency fight the Italian mob. As their unholy alliance spirals out of control, Bulger increases his power and evades capture to become one of the most dangerous gangsters in U.S. history.

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Critics Consensus

Black Mass spins a gripping yarn out of its fact-based story -- and leaves audiences with one of Johnny Depp's most compelling performances in years.

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Bruno V

Filme com pouca performances no aspecto da violência. Mas um filme bem retratado.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

shana p

Somehow Johnny Depp makes you empathize with James Bulger and that makes the movie intriguing and impossible to turn away from.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/23/23

Full Review

Angelo H

This is the first time I honestly feel that this movie deserves more attention than it gets very very underrated. Superb performances all around If you have not seen this movie u are not a true crime movie fan

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/23

Full Review

topper2142

Personally I thought this was a great movie regardless of its accurate portrayal of whitey.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/11/23

Full Review

Rebecca S

In the 70's, the Irish criminal James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) is the leader of the Winter Hill Gang in South Boston after imprisonments for many years. His brother William "Billy" Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a Massachusetts Senator. When the ambitious FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) is assigned to investigate the mafia in Boston, he proposes a deal to Whitey, who is a childhood friend, to become an FBI informant; in return, the FBI would neglect any investigation of his gang. They take down the Italian mob with Whitey's information while Whitey becomes one of the most powerful and notorious gangsters in South Boston. But when the prosecutor Fred Wyshak (Corey Stoll) is assigned to Boston, he demands investigation of Whitey despite the interference of Connolly and Whitey becomes one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List criminals. "Black Mass" is another crime film based on the biography of a notorious gangster, this time the criminal James "Whitey" Bulger in South Boston. The impressive performance of Johnny Depp is maybe the greatest attraction of this movie. The story is like many others of notorious American gangsters, with violence, corruption and justice in the end. "Black Mass" never disappoints fans of this genre and the production is careful with the atmosphere in the late 70's and 80's. Director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace) proves yet again that he is an actor's director, rather than a visual technician or story addict. In this adaptation of the book from "Boston Globe" reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, Cooper has Depp and Joel Edgerton as his two leads, and an incredibly deep supporting cast that provide the look and feel for this period piece dramatizing the crime and corruption during Bulger's reign. When one thinks of the memorable kingpins of crime/gangster movies, those that come to mind include Michael Corleone (The Godfather movies), Tony Montana (Scarface), Jimmy Conway (Goodfellas), and Frank Costello (The Departed). The Costello character was supposedly partially inspired by Bulger. What made each of these characters fascinating to watch was the insight we were given into the psychological make-up of each and the inner-workings of their organization. And that's the disappointment of Cooper's film. For the Whitey Bulger story, there are two distinct directions to explore: the building of Bulger's criminal empire, or the motivation of the FBI Agent John Connolly (Edgerton) as he juggled his job and relationship with Bulger. Unfortunately, the approach here is to show a hand full of cold-blooded murders to prove Bulger's management style, and a few FBI meetings that show the obvious uncertainty within the agency. Rather than a muddled mash-up, a more interesting movie would have chosen a path and dug in deeply. Despite the story issues, it is fun to watch how Depp and Edgerton tackle their roles. Under heavy make-up (wrinkles, receding hairline, hillbilly teeth, and crazy contact lenses), Depp becomes the intimidating force of Whitey Bulger. Just as impressive is Edgerton as Agent Connolly, as we witness the Southie neighborhood boys all grown up, but still playing cops and robbers and it remains difficult to tell who the good guys from the bad. Edgerton's cockiness and strutting capture the ego and ambition necessary for a federal agent to bend so many rules. In fact, despite the vastly different approaches, it's not entirely clear which of these two fellows possesses the greatest ambition. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Billy Bulger, Whitey's younger brother who became a State Senator. We get very few scenes featuring the brothers, and in fact, Cumberbath's best scenes are instead shared with Edgerton. It's difficult not to chuckle at their first meeting in a restaurant as we watch a Brit and Aussie talk it out with south Boston accents. Kevin Bacon, David Harbour and Adam Scott play Edgerton's fellow FBI agents, while Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane (especially good) and W Earl Brown make terrific Bulger crew members. Peter Sarsgaard leaves quite the impression as a doped-up associate, while Julianne Nicholson, Dakota Johnson and Juno Temple provide the film's minimal female presence. Corey Stoll storms onto the screen as a Federal Prosecutor who is not amused by the relationship between Connolly and Bulger, but this movie belongs to Depp and Edgerton. The concern is that any viewer not already familiar with the Whitey Bulger story may find the story not overly interesting, despite the terrific performances. Fortunately, this viewer was mesmerized by last year's exceptional documentary entitled Whitey: United States of America v James J Bulger a must see for anyone who wants full details into the Bulger reign of crime and terror, as well as his 20 years on the lam.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/22/23

Full Review

georgan g

This show was a pretty good for the criminal genre. So many characters it took awhile to catch on to them all. The real ending to James "Whitey" Bulger was being beaten to death at age 89 in prison.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Scott Cooper

Director

Johnny Depp

James "Whitey" Bulger

Joel Edgerton

John Connolly

Benedict Cumberbatch

Bill Bulger

Dakota Johnson

Lindsey Cyr

Kevin Bacon

FBI Agent Charles McGuire

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Angie Han

Slashfilm

Scott Cooper appears to have made Black Mass under the assumption that his work was half done the moment he jotted the words "Boston-set crime drama" on a notepad.

Jun 14, 2017

Full Review

Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Complex

Depp sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise bland crime drama. And when the film isn't distracting, it's mostly just plain boring.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 22, 2017

Full Review

Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

Yes, it's a relief to see Depp playing a real character again, not another one of his circus freaks -- I just wish he'd been given a better film to operate in.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 12, 2016

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Still, for at least two hours, it's awfully nice to stare in impressive awe at Johnny Depp without having to roll our eyes or squint.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 16, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Despite the seemingly eternal appeal of gangsters in cinema, and Bulger as a subject of fascination and horror, Black Mass proves to be little more than uninterestingly made based-on-a-true-story fare.

Rated: 2.5/4

May 27, 2022

Full Review

Olly Richards

NME (New Musical Express)

Johnny Depp plays a monstrous Boston gangster in a disguise so unsettling you'll struggle to recognise him.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 8, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

While his brother Bill (Benedict Cumberbatch) remains a powerful leader in the Massachusetts Senate, Irish hoodlum James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) continues to pursue a life of crime in 1970s Boston. Approached by FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), the lawman convinces Whitey to help the agency fight the Italian mob. As their unholy alliance spirals out of control, Bulger increases his power and evades capture to become one of the most dangerous gangsters in U.S. history.

Director: Scott Cooper
Executive Producer: Brett Ratner, James Packer, Steven Mnuchin, Peter Mallouk, Ray Mallouk, Christopher Woodrow, Brett Granstaff, Gary Granstaff, Phil Hunt, Compton Ross
Screenwriter: Mark Mallouk, Jez Butterworth
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Head Gear Films, Le Grisbi, Warner Bros., RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Cross Creek Pictures, Free State Pictures
Rating: R (Brutal Violence|Brief Drug Use|Language Throughout|Some Sexual References)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 4, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $62.6M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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