Johnny Depp Portrays the Devil of the Boston Underworld

Johnny Depp in "Black Mass"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

As far back as Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson’s 1932 film “Scarface,” gangster movies have been a staple of American cinema.  Over time, there have been films such as the “Godfather” trilogy, the “Scarface” remake (1983), “Once Upon a Time in America,” “The Untouchables,” and “Goodfellas,” all of which have made significant contributions to the genre with their deep and detailed stories of organized crime.

Now, director Scott Cooper brings us his crime drama, “Black Mass,” which focuses on James “Whitey” Bulger, one of the most infamous and deadly gangsters in American history.  While the movie doesn’t reach the heights of classic gangster films of past decades, the cast, especially a disturbing performance from Johnny Depp as Bulger, makes this film an interesting watch as we see the impact that Bulger had on mob life.

In 1975, Irish-American mobster James “Whitey” Bulger controls most of South Boston’s organized crime with the assistance of his Winter Hill Gang.  He is soon approached by FBI agent and childhood friend John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), who proposes a deal with Bulger to help bring down a common enemy: the Italian mafia.  While Bulger agrees to this, he uses it as an opportunity to do whatever he pleases, and Connolly soon realizes that he might not have as much control over Bulger as he had hoped.

Given the quality of Johnny Depp’s performances over the last few years, it looked like he was mainly doing them for an easy payday, which was a shame because he showed in several movies before then that he had terrific acting skills.  In “Black Mass,” Depp provides an absolutely chilling performance, one that is not only his best of the last 10 years, but one of his best ever.  Watching him perform in this role was similar to watching Steve Carell in last year’s “Foxcatcher,” in that I never knew Depp could go this dark and ruthless with a character, but it was stunning to witness.  Depp brings an abundance of tension to the role, diving completely into the depraved and violent behavior of Bulger.  To have Depp make a comeback in a role such as this and show a whole other side of his talent make his return to form very worth the wait.

Because of the stellar performances, it takes a bit of time to realize that they are what elevate this film beyond its fairly standard gangster story.  The screenplay by Jez Butterworth and Mark Mallouk, which is based on the book “Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob” by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill, has some tense gangster scenes, but none of them really have the power to be remembered as strongly as those from superior gangster films.  Instead, it is mainly the scenes involving James and John with their families that stick with you because you see how these two individuals act when with their loved ones and how their families handle these men who do what they do.

Despite the familiarity of the film’s structure, director Scott Cooper brings a dark and ominous tone to the film that compliments the terror of Bulger.  With the ability to handle a cast that is as accomplished as this one, Cooper makes an admirable first attempt at the gangster genre.

If you want to know the feeling again of watching a current Johnny Depp performance that’s reflective of his true talents, you’ll want to see this film.

Final grade: B+

For a Way Out of Their Troubled Community, Aspiring Artists Turn to Their Musical Talents

From left: Corey Hawkins, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., and Jason Mitchell
in "Straight Outta Compton"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com 

This summer movie season has had its share of films that deal with vocalists and musicians.  There was the a cappella comedy, “Pitch Perfect 2”; “Love and Mercy,” a biopic which focused on Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson; and the Amy Winehouse documentary, “Amy.”  Now, director F. Gary Gray brings us “Straight Outta Compton,” a detailed chronicle of the trailblazing hip-hop group, N.W.A.

In 1986 Compton, California, Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), and DJ Yella (Neil Brown, Jr.) escape the day-to-day difficulties of their neighborhood by creating music and performing for local audiences, and their group, N.W.A., soon goes under Eazy-E’s new label, Ruthless Records.  After the popularity of their first single, “Boyz-n-the-Hood,” the group attracts the attention of music manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti), who is then appointed as N.W.A.’s manager.  As the group becomes more successful, tension begins to rise among its members that threatens to ruin everything they have worked for.

Although Jackson, Hawkins, and Mitchell didn’t have much acting experience before this film, they all exhibit unfaltering chemistry between their characters.  Through their dramatic scenes and stage-performance sequences, these three actors help to provide the film with a great deal of its power.  Seeing as three relatively unknown actors are cast in the leads, that makes their performances a lot more effective because there’s the feeling of movie audiences becoming acquainted with the acting abilities of these performers, similar to people becoming acquainted with the talents of N.W.A. in the ‘80s.  Although Hawkins’ acting could have been a bit more emotional during a tragic scene involving his character’s brother, the acting is still superb all around.

I never knew much of N.W.A.’s story before seeing the movie, but the screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff offers plenty of depth in terms of the career and lifestyle of N.W.A.’s members.  The narrative shows the neighborhood experiences of the group, so when we listen to their music, we are given a much deeper understanding of the stories within their lyrics because of what we see these characters go through before they reach stardom.  From scenes depicting N.W.A.’s rise to success, to dynamic concert scenes, to the drama that rises among the members of N.W.A., Herman and Berloff offer a rich and interesting account of this prominent hip-hop group.

One of the strongest parts of the screenplay is how it shows the damage that can be done to a group of artists when they have conflicting views about the direction in which their careers should go, which is seen when N.W.A. breaks up.  In this portion of the film, we see the members exploring their own projects, collaborating with others, and recording songs that are aimed to badmouth each other.  It adds a considerable amount of drama to the story because of how we see these artists go from using their music to succeed as a group, to using it to get back at one another. 

Director F. Gary Gray does skillful work in capturing the intensity of N.W.A.’s off-stage lives and the energy of their performances on stage.  This is a biopic that provides its audiences with a detailed view of a significant chapter of American music, a true story that should be experienced by both music lovers and moviegoers. 

Final grade: A-