DEPP STARS AS MOB BOSS
‘BLACK MASS’ TRAILER REVIEW BY METRO CREW
Based on a true story, Black Mass follows notorious Boston Irish mob leader Whitey Bulger (Johnny Depp), who enters into an uneasy alliance with the FBI. Protected by his role as an informant, Bulger becomes an increasingly dangerous figure as he tries to take down the Italian mafia. We’re excited to see Depp in a role that seems to be a departure from his recent work — and he looks phenomenal. The film also features a star-studded cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Adam Scott and Kevin Bacon.
Black Mass opens in wide release Sept. 18.
CHRISTINA: This looks really good — and it is so refreshing to see Johnny Depp in something different than all the weird characters he’s been playing for like the last five years.
JAIMIE: I forgot how great Johnny Depp can be sometimes. This almost makes me want to forgive him for doing a million movies in a row in which he played the exact same character.
JAMES: Yeah, I was getting fatigued with Depp’s terminal costume fetish. Good to see him play someone a bit more down to earth. And it’s saying something that this relatively down-to-earth character is a mass-murdering mob boss/informant.
NICOLE: Personally, I think Depp is a versatile actor. I know he plays all these crazy roles, but honestly I think they’re crazy in different ways. But I really like it when he plays roles like this.
PAIGE: I didn’t even realize this was Depp until his name came up at the end.
JAIMIE: Also, what is the appeal with Benedict Cumberachalachalacha? (That is how I imagine his name is pronounced.)
PAIGE: In what universe does Benedict Cumberbatch look like Johnny Depp’s brother? They are pretty far apart on the “yes, we’re believably brothers” scale.
CHRISTINA: As much as I think this looks good, I’m not sure that I could actually see it — the violence looks way too real/scary for me. The trailer alone is so tense. I was so nervous for that guy sitting across from Depp at the table. I thought he was going to kill him right there. It’s rather terrifying.
JAMES: I like that the trailer focuses on one well-delivered little dialogue. Off-kilter and super menacing. The only thing is it’s kind of reminiscent of the Joe Pesci “Funny how?” scene in Goodfellas And I wonder if this is how the scene really plays out in the movie, or if this was just spliced together that way to get some sort of recognizable conclusion to the scene.
JAIMIE: YES, it totally reminded me of the Joe Pesci scene in Goodfellas. Depp’s character also felt very De Niro-ish to me to the point that I kind of just wished it was De Niro and not JD.
