A Movie Review: Black Mass

Black Mass. This movie follows the rise and fall of Whitney Bulger (Johnny Depp) and how he corrupted those around him. A key example of this corrupting influence being his childhood friend, a celebrity FBI agent, John Connolly (Joel Edgerton).

The movie opens with Whitney Bulger being a rather small time gangster in Boston who wants to expand his power. John Connolly moves back to Boston. He learns that the mafia wants to expand into Bulger's territory and plan to take him out. Connolly warns Bulger.

Connolly later convinces Bulger to turn into an FBI informant to help take down the mafia. The problem is that Bulger is very hesitant to feed any information unless pressed, but at the same time he is corrupting Connolly.

I found this movie to be a so so gangster movie. Johnny Depp is brilliant as Bulger. He totally changes up his acting style. There is no Pirates of the Caribbean or Alice in Wonderland type acting. My problem is how John Connolly is portrayed. I don't think the movie properly shows the transition of Connelly from a top FBI agent to a corrupt one. To me, at one moment he's trying to get his childhood friend to turn informant and then the next moment he's involved in a murder.