The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

London Film Festival 2015

Black Mass

London Film Festival 2015: Black Mass | Review
11 October 2015
Filippo L'Astorina
Avatar
Filippo L'Astorina
11 October 2015

Movie and show review

Filippo L'Astorina

Black Mass

★★★★★

Release date

27th November 2015

Certificate

UPG121518 title=

Links

TwitterFacebookWebsite

Special event

The release of a new movie starring Johnny Depp used to be a bit of an event for cinema-goers; since the global success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the actor we knew for unbelievable transformations relaxed and began to play himself, again and again – just like Al Pacino, on a smaller scale.

You only have to look at Black Mass’ poster to see how Depp has finally rediscovered his talent for acting: he is nearly unrecognisable.

Between the 70s and the 90s, Whitey Bulger (Johnny Depp) rose from local scumbag to Boston’s most famous and controversial mob leader. Brother to a US Senator (Benedict Cumberbatch) and childhood friend of a rising FBI agent (Joel Edgerton), Bulger helped the government defeat the Italian mafia. But every deal necessitates a payback, and the FBI – with the shady support of his inside friend – promised to ignore his illegal activities.

The controversy behind this ruthless mobster is that, as a good Irish descendant, he took care of his neighbourhood, Southie (South Boston). He would literally help old ladies with their groceries, and minutes later he would choke a friend’s girlfriend to death just to make a point.

While director Scoot Cooper was casting for non-professional actors to cover key roles in the Irish community, he tried to hire an old lady for the character of Bulger’s mother, who kept refusing it because “Bulger was always nice with me”.

Black Mass accurately recreates the Boston of the 70s with CGI-corrected aerial views and opaque, grainy cinematography; however, Depp’s transformation is the film’s most impressive feature, with grey hair and chilling blue eyes achieved through hand-painted contacts.

It’s a gangster movie with great actors – Peter Sarsgaard’s magnificent five minutes of acting would be worth the ticket alone – and it could possibly be Depp’s return to form after a few relaxed years.

★★★★★

Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor

Black Mass is released nationwide on 27th November 2015.

For further information about the 59th London Film Festival visit here, and for more of our coverage visit here.

Watch the trailer for Black Mass here:

Related Itemsfbigangster moviesreviewwhitey bulger

More in Film festivals

Back to the Wharf

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

I’m Your Man (Ich bin dein Mensch)

★★★★★
Sean Gallen
Read More

We (Nous)

★★★★★
Jake Cudsi
Read More

Moon, 66 Questions

★★★★★
Joseph Owen
Read More

Language Lessons

★★★★★
Joseph Owen
Read More

Memory Box

★★★★★
Oliver Johnston
Read More

Ninjababy

★★★★★
Oliver Johnston
Read More

No táxi do Jack (Jack’s Ride)

★★★★★
Dan Meier
Read More

À Pas Aveugles (From Where They Stood)

★★★★★
Samuel Nicholls
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Filippo L'Astorina

Black Mass

★★★★★

Release date

27th November 2015

Certificate

UPG121518 title=

Links

TwitterFacebookWebsite

Special event

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Creation Stories
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • Detroit Stories – Alice Cooper
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Judas and the Black Messiah
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Gatsby at Cadogan Hall: An interview with Jodie Steele and Ross William Wild
    Theatre
  • Laura Mvula – Under a Pink Moon
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Back to the Wharf
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • I’m Your Man (Ich bin dein Mensch)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • We (Nous)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • Language Lessons
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • Moon, 66 Questions
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • We (Nous)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • Bicep at Saatchi Gallery Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Winter Lake
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Spotlight: Lauren Everet and Soup Kitchen London, striving for food security and social equality
    Food & Drinks
  • Da Capo
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

London Film Festival 2015: Poet on a Business Trip | Review
London Film Festival 2015: Taklub (Trap) | Review