A film adopted from a novel, Black Mass: The Irish Mob, The FBI and a Devil’s Deal, co-authored by Harvey Winstein and Dick Lehr was entertaining, well done by the actors, producers, but failed to deliver new information. It is based on a true story, but is an all too often repeat of a United States government federal agent aggrandizing themselves by playing with the “bad boys” in order to get the “other bad boys.” The cast of characters is well played by Joel Edgerton as John Connolly, and Johnny Depp as James “Whitey” Bulger. Johnny does a convincing job; I did not know who was playing the character until I saw Johnny on the big screen against the bay, and realized that it was Johnny Depp playing a character somewhat similar to another character he played in another movie, Donnie Brasco in 1997. I know who Johnny Depp is, but the make-up job on his face was quite remarkable; he was unrecognizable until it was obvious that he was drawing on a character that he successfully played nearly twenty years prior to the release of this new film. The twist on the old story line was that John Connolly and James “Whitey” Bugler were childhood friends, and that Whitey had a brother who was in the State Senate. The connection of the two brothers is true, but the State Senator did not in any manner, help his criminal brother build his criminal empire, but rather the FBI Agent did help Whitey build his empire. It is entertaining, and if the audience is young enough, it maybe new information, but it surprises me in absolutely no manner that federal agents behave criminally, and often times act in the interest of their friends and family who are criminals themselves.
