Black Mass (2015)

[CJohn]

Discuss

[Ozymandias]

Just saw this, Johnny Depp is undeniably great in this(really nice seeing him care again) but the rest of the movie is a little ho hum.

Solid B

[Cmasterclay]

I enjoyed it a ton and thought it was mostly great, but it never really quite gets to THAT point where you know you're watching something truly special. It lacks a sense of build and energy, and it jumps around too much to really establish the kind of consistent stakes and rhythm that would have truly elevated this into the stratosphere. It isn't really even a gangster movie- it's really a very realistic, clinical crime procedural (it's as clinical as Fincher without the mastery of the tone, but full disclosure I think Fincher's movies actually struggle to balance pace/energy with tone at times, too). It doesn't have any "intense" moments in terms of plot or structure, but it's intense by it's very nature because it's so gritty and authentic. It DOES feel like the real story. It feels like what the whole Whitey/FBI tale felt like, without unnecessary "All my life I wanted to be a gangster....." witticisms or philosophizing that turns it into a cliche gangster movie. And that's good! I appreciated that. But it also means it never really hits the kind  of peak necessary to take this movie above and beyond. But it has some memorable directorial flourishes, excellent cinematography, completely spot-on dialogue, and some really memorable scenes. And that cast! Really just great. Depp is unbelievable. Perfect role for him. Edgerton is exceptional too, and he nails a very distinct Southie accent variation that's especially impressive because he's from Down Under. Definitely worth seeing this movie. 

[Vanilla]

^Well said. I agree.

 

8.5/10

[4815162342]

High B+ I think

 

 

 

But I really hope we one day get the Affleck/Damon collaboration that WB decided to veto.

[baumer]

Depp is in oscar form here and the rest of the movie is good as well.  I agree it could have been just a bit more, but overall I liked it and loved Depp.  The rest of the cast was outstanding too.  Dakota Johnson has a great small role.

 

8.5/10

[Blankments]

I don’t know about this one… Depp was admittedly great, and I was always interested in what was happening, but it was so blah. It was a lot like American Hustle in the sense that I wanted the movie to be about something else. In Hustle, I wish the movie was more focused on Renner and Bale’s friendship. Here, I thought the most interesting thing was the Bulger brothers’ relationship, although the film criminally underuses Cumberbatch. Besides Depp, I really just found it blah with the exception of Cumberbatch, Scott, and Stoll, and the latter two don’t really deserve mention. But it was a damn great performance by Depp. B-

[K1stpierre]

Just saw this! Overall, I thought it was pretty good for a movie genre that really isn't my type. I went with my family (my dad, aunt/her boyfriend, and my sister so the 5 of us) and well left discussing it, really going into the history of it. I thought it was easy overall to follow, had me intrigued, and the acting, led my obviously depp, as great. A solid B+ from me, overall 7.5/10. Great flick, was entente retained and had fun.

[Plain Old Tele]

I'm in C+/B- territory. Solid enough, but it felt like it was the Cliff Notes version for a potentially deeper story. In particular, I felt Connolly's character wasn't developed nearly enough. The acting was all good, with Depp leading the charge -- that being said, it felt like a mostly one-note performance from him.

[Rorschach]

This would've benefited from a longer running time.

B+

[Ezen Baklattan]

Eh, I really wasn't a fan. Good performances all around, but the narrative, which is just a mish-mash of crime/procedural tropes, never really works in an interesting way. You know a movie has issues when you're just waiting for it to end after a while.

 

C+

[Lizzy]

I really disliked this film. Felt like a boring washed out copy of far superior films. Depp was dull and his make up wasn't great. Also found it hard to understand Cumberbatch in some scenes with his Boston accent. 

 

Grade D 

Edited December 5, 2015 by Lizzy

[Michael Gary Scott]

Solid film with great performances.

4/5

[Catty]

Agree with other reviews - wasn't much meat to the story - wish we had the story of these two brothers & how one becomes a criminal & one becomes a successful politician - what kind of childhood produces that??  I love Johnny but I found him very distracting - those blue eyes & white face was just jarring to me - brought me out of the movie alot - wish they would have used an actor more Irish looking naturally.  Joel Edgerton played his role very well because I hated him with a passion.  Great cast but not much for them to do - wish we knew more about Dakota Johnson's character & her relationship with Whitey - this just seemed to not have any emotion.  Shame because I was really looking forward to this one.

[Webslinger]

I've been meaning to re-watch it now that it's making the rounds on the HBO networks. I thought it was quite good, even if it didn't scale the full height of its ambitions. Johnny Depp's performance is mesmerizing (it just narrowly missed my personal Best Actor list from last year).

 

B+