Scott Cooper's Black Mass is a fairly routine crime saga detailing the career of Whitey Bulger. Johnny Depp, as he was in Michael Mann's Public Enemies, is miscast as a psychopathic tough guy, but manages a relatively convincing performance. The supporting cast, especially Benedict Cumberbatch and Peter Sarsgaard, are more than adequate under Cooper's restrained direction, but the script fails to flesh out Bulger's criminal enterprises and the film lacks dynamism. This is a fascinating true life story, but is rendered wanly here. Indicative of the film's timid reach is the vague portrait of Bulger's relationship with his brother, who was President of the Massachusetts Senate while Whitey was the crime lord of South Boston. An OK flick, but, given the material, it should have been a much richer film. (11/21/16)
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