Black Mass (2015)

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

Director:

Scott Cooper

Writers:

Mark Mallouk (screenplay), Jez Butterworth (screenplay)

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson

4 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	James 'Whitey' Bulger
Joel Edgerton	...	John Connolly
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Billy Bulger
Dakota Johnson	...	Lindsey Cyr
Kevin Bacon	...	FBI Agent Charles McGuire
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Brian Halloran
Jesse Plemons	...	Kevin Weeks
Rory Cochrane	...	Stephen Flemmi
David Harbour	...	John Morris
Adam Scott	...	FBI Agent Robert Fitzpatrick
Corey Stoll	...	Fred Wyshak
Julianne Nicholson	...	Marianne Connolly
W. Earl Brown	...	John Martorano (as W Earl Brown)
Bill Camp	...	John Callahan
Juno Temple	...	Deborah Hussey

Storyline

Based on a true story of James "Whitey" Bulger, an Irish Mob godfather and FBI informant who had a "secret trading" deal with his brother, William "Billy" Bulger, a state senator and a Boston public figure, and John Connolly, an FBI agent. They planned to take down the Italian mob and mafia in Boston, which went awry and things turned massively violent. When the credence for each other began fading out, drug dealing, murders, and extortion started to rise, and forced the FBI's Boston office to confirm that Whitey Bulger was one of the most notorious criminals in US history and also one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List criminals.

---

Plot Keywords:

true crime | fbi agent | boston massachusetts | gangster | based on true story | 

---

Taglines:

Based on the true story of one of the most notorious gangsters in U.S. history

---

Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal violence, language throughout, some sexual references and brief drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pacto criminal

Filming Locations:

Harvard Club of Boston, 374 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$22,635,037 (USA) (18 September 2015)

Gross:

$62,563,543 (USA) (27 November 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cross Creek Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Grisbi Productions, Le

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonardo DiCaprio's influence may have contributed to director Scott Coopers interest in taking on this project, since DiCaprio had helped produce Cooper's previous movie Out of the Furnace (2013), and had starred in The Departed (2006), which is based on a Whitey Bulger-like character in Boston.

---

Goofs

In the movie when James Bulger is arrested. It states that is took place on June 22, 2011. The Chevrolet Traverse the federal agents get out of has four clear tail lights (markers). In 2011 only the two inside markers were clear. The four clear markers were introduced in 2013.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Kevin Weeks: Before we start, I want you to kow something. I'm not a rat. You understand? I want that on record before we start.
DEA Agent Eric Olsen: Okay. You are not a rat. And it's on record. Mr. Weeks, the charges against you, racketeering, extortion, kidnapping, and accomplice to murder, are very serious. Am I correct in stating that you are here today to make a deal with the federal government?
Kevin Weeks: Correct.
DEA Agent Eric Olsen: And am I correct in stating that you are going from trusted confidant to one of South Boston's most ...
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

As the actors are listed, pictures and footage of the real people they portrayed are shown.

---

Connections

Featured in Close Up with the Hollywood Reporter: Actors (2016)

---

Soundtracks

Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke
Performed by Wes Montgomery
Courtesy of Concord Music Group, Inc.

User Reviews

Comprised of spectacular performances, Johnny Depp and Co. carry this run-of-the-mill B list Mob movie to relevance.

Encompassed with episodic rhythm and an awfully conventional format, Scott Cooper mutates a story of rich soil capable of greatness to a detaching and routine crime film. Black Mass grasps only on the superficial layer as it focuses solely on documented events of the crime they organized. Due to this, the movie suffers as it seems to be merely a biography- laying out these horrific events in these specified timeframes but not putting any focus on the characters that performed it. All action, but none of the story that happens between that allows the audience to view who they are and what they're like. Black Mass fails to delve deeper into the roots, and this of course limits the scope of all the actors. Great mob cinematography such as The Godfather, Goodfellas, and the Sopranos- all of these were so great because they allowed the audience to see what the characters were like when they weren't shooting, beating, or plotting against people.

That being said, in their limited boxes boy do these actors put on a show. Led by Johnny Depp and Joel Edgerton, the audience can tell straight from the start that this cast reveled and lived their roles. With the amount of overwhelming, heinous events; the film had to have someone cold-hearted and sleazy, and woah did these actors become the epitome of that. However, due to this heavily limited character, the only "rise" the audience feels are from the bone-chilling actions that these men did. Black Mass fails to captivate. And when the closing credits roll a feeling of disappointment washes over you, as it feels like you just watched an episode on the ID channel with really, really good actors.