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

6 wins & 24 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 a 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 theft 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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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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:

$53,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,635,037, 20 September 2015, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$62,575,678

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$99,775,678

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

Johnny Depp's fourth role playing a real-life gangster, in this case James "Whitey" Bulger. He portrayed Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco (1997), George Jung in Blow (2001), and John Dillinger in Public Enemies (2009).

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Goofs

After Jimmy's mom dies, and he and his brother are at the kitchen table, his brother's glass of beer is about half full in the first scene, and about 3/4 full in the next scene.

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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 ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Featured in Film 2017: Episode #44.11 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Don't Leave Me This Way
Written by Kenny Gamble (as Kenneth Gamble), Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert (as Cary Grant Gilbert)
Performed by Thelma Houston
Courtesy of Motown Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Impressive Performance of Johnny Depp

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. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Aliança do Crime" ("Crime Alliance")