It's not a stretch to state that National Lampoon's Animal House ranks as one of the most influential films of the past half-century.

He provides a nice counterpart to Depp's steely menace, and with both actors further supported by a stellar supporting roster (Benedict Cumberbatch, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard, Julianne Nicholson and more), Black Mass ably demonstrates that there's still some life left in a genre that, just when we think we're out, pulls us back in.īlu-ray extras consist of a making-of featurette a piece on Depp's transformation into Bulger and a look at the real-life manhunt for Bulger. Edgerton plays the part with the right mix of braggadocio and unctuousness, strutting with a skewered sense of self-purpose yet unable to completely conceal the sweat and grime triggered by his underhanded moves. In many ways, Connolly is just as immoral as Bulger, ratting out informants to stay in the gangster's good graces and even putting their relationship above those he enjoys with family and friends. Indeed, it's the presence of Edgerton's character which allows Black Mass to play as more than just an also-ran in the 'mob movie' sweepstakes. Or, to be specific, with the help of one particular agent: John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), who grew up with Bulger in South Boston and has allowed his childhood admiration to seep into his honorable career and poison it.

Through this feature film, we're privy to the activities that lead to his wanted status, including murder and racketeering, and we watch as he builds an empire with the help of the FBI. Practically unrecognizable with that bald pate and those blue-sky contact lenses, Johnny Depp projects ferocious intensity as real-life crime boss James 'Whitey' Bulger, whose Trivial Pursuit claim to fame is that he spent over a decade as the #2 man on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, right under some fellow named Osama bin Laden. Johnny Depp in Black Mass (Photo: Warner Bros.)īLACK MASS (2015).

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