In the 70's, the Irish criminal James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) is the leader of the Winter Hill Gang in South Boston after imprisonments for many years. His brother William "Billy" Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a Massachusetts Senator. When the ambitious FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) is assigned to investigate the mafia in Boston, he proposes a deal to Whitey, who is a childhood friend, to become an FBI informant; in return, the FBI would neglect any investigation of his gang. They take down the Italian mob with Whitey's information while Whitey becomes one of the most powerful and notorious gangsters in South Boston. But when the prosecutor Fred Wyshak (Corey Stoll) is assigned to Boston, he demands investigation of Whitey despite the interference of Connolly and Whitey becomes one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List criminals.

"Black Mass" is another crime film based on the biography of a notorious gangster, this time the criminal James "Whitey" Bulger in South Boston. The impressive performance of Johnny Depp is maybe the greatest attraction of this movie. The story is like many others of notorious American gangsters, with violence, corruption and justice in the end. "Black Mass" never disappoints fans of this genre and the production is careful with the atmosphere in the late 70's and 80's. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Aliança do Crime" ("Crime Alliance")

BLACK MASS is a crime thriller that strives to hark back to the 1990s era of similar filmmaking, with movies like DONNIE BRASCO and GOODFELLAS ruling the day. This one stars Johnny Depp as a feared and infamous assassin who worked alongside corrupt cops while taking down a string of victims during his violent career. He managed to evade the authorities for many years, no mean feat in itself. The film's plot is packed with murder and violent incident, but it feels like an attempt to return to glory days rather than being anything new or fresh. The profanity irritated me a bit and the endless parade of familiar faces have little to work with. There's no sense of era, really, just more and more time spent in the company of hateful or corrupted characters. I enjoyed it to a degree, but is it one I'd keep coming back to? Not particularly. In addition, Depp's prosthetics - and in particular contact lenses - are too distracting.

James 'Whitey' Bulger (Johnny Depp) is a small time Irish mobster in Southie Boston. FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton),from the neighborhood, recruits Whitey to be an informant through his political brother Billy Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch). Connolly and his boss Agent Charles McGuire (Kevin Bacon) are trying to bring down the Italian mob in Boston. The loyalty of Connolly is in doubt as McGuire demands more from Whitey who starts to become a powerful gangster.

Johnny Depp regains his acting cred. The story is told in a straight forward manner. It's a bit too straight. Connolly is the missing emotional drama element. Edgerton is fine but his character could have been even more epic. In many ways, his character is the mystery and the possible main character study. It's his character that changes throughout the story. It's his character that provides a possible arc. The reveal of his manufacturing of Whitey's information is a dramatic highlight. The question of why is touched on but it could be a whole movie by itself. Connolly would make for a superior main character. That's not saying that the acting from both is anything but top rate.