Whitey is approached by his childhood friend, ambitious fbi agent, john connolly joel edgerton who suggests an alliance. Black mass nearly does this rich material justice, but not quite. The true story of an unholy alliance between the fbi and the irish mob by dick lehr and gerard oneill. The true story of an unholy alliance between the fbi and the irish mob by dick lehr and gerard oneill the movie stars johnny depp, joel edgerton, benedict cumberbatch, kevin bacon, jesse plemons, peter sarsgaard, rory cochrane, adam.
Remainder books are usually marked with a black marker swipe on the bottom. Shown in a fractured narrative perspective from two of whitey bulgers former accomplices, black mass tells the tale of james whitey bulger, a ruthless irish american gangster. But, black mass is no goodfellas, nor is it trying to be in any way. How the black mass authors watched their book come to life. In south boston during the 1970s, james whitey bulger johnny depp isnt a criminal kingpin even if he has the appearance of being on his way towards becoming one. Johnny depp stars as james whitey bulger, a real life south boston irish gang leader who became an fbi informant in order to get ahead of his italian mafia rivals. Coopers direction is skillful, if overly reliant on borrowed scorseseisms especially when it comes to music, and the cast is firstrate, but the film is.
Friedrich nietzsche once famously wrote that he who fights with monsters must take care lest he become a monster and that lesson rests at the heart of scott coopers gangster biopic black mass. Its about how evil can flourish simply by being more charismatic and decisive than good. Black mass is a 2015 american biographical crime drama film produced and directed by scott cooper and written by mark mallouk and jez butterworth, based on dick lehr and gerard oneill s 2001 book black mass. Depps whitey bulger mafia character must constantly look up and down each relationship for potential. This is the first major collection of criticism on black american cinema. Its the 1970s, and james whitey bulger johnny depp is the most feared gangster in bostons underworld but few of his fellow thugs know that hes also working with the fbi. The true story of an unholy alliance between the fbi and the irish mob, this movie version boils down to two human behaviorsloyalty and trust. The true story of an unholy alliance between the fbi and the irish mob. In its heart, black mass is a moral tale with notatallsubtle religious overtones. Reallife gangsters pour scorn on johnny depp mob biopic. Black mass is the unfortunate title of a movie about murderous boston gangster jimmy whitey bolger, who was on the fbis most wanted list for 16 years before being captured in 2011. This book is a completely true story about bostons major criminals back in mid 1900s. How the black mass authors watched their book come to. In black mass, whitey bulger acquires a glimmer of humanity.
Sep 16, 2015 how the black mass authors watched their book come to life on screen gerard oneill and dick lehr talk what johnny depp was like on set, why shooting their cameo was so darn difficult, and. Black mass 2015 july 19, 2018 johnny depp stars as james whitey bulger, a real life south boston irish gang leader who became an fbi informant in order to get ahead of his italian mafia rivals. Its a dark and exceedingly unsettling but also challenging and provocative historical drama, powered by a scorching lead performance. As boston mobster james whitey bulger, he never gets the southie accent. Michael patrick macdonald, author of all souls a family story from southie more than an expose on the abuses of power, black mass tells of the shameful betrayal of all things decent by two of our own native sons who climbed the ranks of both the. Starring johnny depp, joel edgerton, benedict cumberbatch, dakota johnson, peter sarsgaard, adam scott, corey stoll and kevin bacon. How the black mass authors watched their book come to life on screen gerard oneill and dick lehr talk what johnny depp was like on set, why shooting their cameo was so darn difficult, and. Depp terrifies as dangerously violent reallife gangster. Zwartboek is a 2006 war drama thriller film cowritten and directed by paul verhoeven and starring carice van houten, sebastian koch, thom hoffman, and halina reijn. The film has an ensemble cast including johnny depp, joel. This is a first hand account of how whitey bulger, and steve flemmi became part of the fbi as informants, and in turn the fbi became informants for. Told in a bracing historyrevisited fashion bolstered by closeup interviews, the film feels like its allowing audiences into the.
Oprah winfrey adapted the book into the iconic film of the same name, and starred in it alongside danny glover and thandie newton. Cooper directed black mass from a screenplay by mark mallouk and jez butterworth, based on the book by dick lehr and gerard oneill. My old boss was the head of a local biker gang in the 70s, the hells angels came to town at some point and politely suggested the gang merge into the angels or disappear. The movie begins with a childhood friend of bolgers, fbi agent john chandler, forging a deal between bolger and the fbi fir bolger to inform on his mafia. Black mass is a work of rare lucidity, high drama, journalistic integrity, and plain courage. Apocalyptic religion and the death of utopia by john gray allen lane. May 22, 2012 black mass is a new york times and boston globe bestseller, written by two former reporters who were on the case from the beginning.
Remainders are books that a publisher decides to sell off at lowerthanlistprice because it hasnt been selling well at the price it says on the book. Download book the big money by john dos passos view authors tablet book how download original purchase acquire. If youve ever asked yourself how, say, one bully on a subway car could berate his girlfriend for twenty stops without anyone else intervening, or how four men with box. Black mass should prompt a reevaluation of the uses and misuses of informers by law enforcement officials throughout the country. Black mass with johnny depp, is getting an early 4k ultra.
Johnny depp as whitey bulger in black mass left and the real whitey bulger in the 1990s. Movies based on real life, movies based on books, crime movies, crime dramas, dramas, gangster movies. Black mass starheavy cast including edgerton, cumberbatch and its calculating direction helps emphasize the brutality and impact of this notorious gangster. Black mass was one of the most interesting book that i have read.
Character actors like dazed and confused s rory cochrane and breaking bads jesse plemons shun vanity and gain weight to portray whiteys altogether and. The first ten minutes of the movie depict scenes of gruesome murder and mob hits. The contact lenses that render his eyes gunmetal grey never cease to startle. Starring johnny depp, benedict cumberbatch, joel edgerton, dakota johnson, kevin bacon, jesse plemons, peter sarsgaard and corey stoll. The story of james whitey bulger mobsterturnedfbiinformantturnedfugitive is the stuff of great fiction. But if youre a fan of gangster movies andor depp, black mass is the best dose youre going to get this year. Johnny depp plays reallife boston gangster whitey bulger in a preening, macho drama that brims with. In this volume, the work of early black filmmakers is given serious attention for the.
With the advent of the capture of whitey bulger by the fbi in june of 2011, dick lehr and gerard oneills book, black mass. Black mass is a new york times and boston globe bestseller, written by two former reporters who were on the case from the beginning. Black mass, with johnny depp, is based on the career of the notorious boston crime boss james whitey bulger, one of the fbis ten most wanted fugitives from 1999 until his capture in june. A black mark on books is probably better known as a remainder mark. It is remarkably unsensational, and, rare for a crime film, without any posturing or selfrighteous elements. Sep 18, 2015 based on the book by dick lehr and gerard oneill, director scott coopers out of the furnace, crazy heart black mass attempts to look at this simpatico relationship between whitey bulger and john connolly in as intimate detail as it can. Black mass story, black mass hollywood movie story, plot. To say it has underlying themes would be a little difficult.
The unholy alliance between the fbi and whitey bulger, one of the most notorious gangster in u. The true story of whitey bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of south boston, who became an fbi informant to take down a mafia family invading his turf. In 1970s south boston, fbi agent john connolly joel edgerton persuades irish mobster james whitey bulger johnny depp to collaborate with the fbi and eliminate a common enemy. In 1970s south boston, fbi agent john connolly persuades irish mobster james whitey bulger johnny depp to. It gave me more details that i never knew about boston massachusetts. The true story of whitey bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of south boston, who became an fbi informant to take down a. The film, credited as based on several true events and characters, is about a young jewish woman in the netherlands who becomes a spy for the resistance during world war ii after tragedy befalls her in an. It is a banal representation of evil, with constant reinforcement of bulger as onedimensionally evil in what should be a character study. Released september 18th, 2015, black mass stars johnny depp, joel edgerton, benedict cumberbatch, dakota johnson the r movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 2 min, and received a score of 68 out of. Her superiors order her to seduce a gestapo officer named ludwig sebastian koch. It is an epic story of violence, doublecross, and corruption at the center of which are the black hearts of two old friends whose lives unfolded in the darkness of permanent midnight. Black mass movie simple english wikipedia, the free.
May 01, 2000 black mass was one of the most interesting book that i have read. Depps brilliance invigorates an otherwise lethally disappointing mass. Johnny depp james whitey bulger, joel edgerton john connolly, benedict cumberbatch billy bulger, dakota johnson lindsey cyr, kevin bacon fbi agent charles mcguire, peter. Black mass is a 2015 american crime movie directed by scott cooper and written by mark mallouk and jez butterworth. There is nothing remarkable about black mass, well, except for much of the supporting cast. Based upon the 2001 book from dick lehr and gerard oneill titled black mass.
Sep 22, 2015 it is no coincidence that scott coopers black mass was released on the same weekend in which goodfellas was released 25 years ago and seems indebted to the legacy scorseses masterpiece created. The film, credited as based on several true events and characters, is about a young jewish woman in the netherlands who becomes a spy for the resistance during. The irish mob, the boston fbi, and a devils deal will be read by many. If black mass was a traditional biopic, it would have included the backstory and have a third act focusing on bulgers life as a fugitive, but it doesnt.
Sep 02, 2015 dick lehr, who wrote the book black mass with gerard oneill, said by phone from boston that he had seen the film and felt that mr. Oct 09, 2015 if black mass was a traditional biopic, it would have included the backstory and have a third act focusing on bulgers life as a fugitive, but it doesnt. Dick lehr, who wrote the book black mass with gerard oneill, said by phone from boston that he had seen the film and felt that mr. Sep 18, 2015 johnny depp shows the acting range weve wanted to see from him for years as bostons crime lord james whitey bulger. Touches like these make black mass feel less realistic than expressionisticlike scorseses remake of cape fear, which envisioned ordinary people being terrorized by a diabolical exconvict who seemed as unstoppable as michael meyers in halloween, or the terminator, or the original silentfilm bloodsucker nosferatu, who could paralyze. From the pioneering work of oscar micheaux and wallace thurman to the hollywood success of spike lee, black american filmmakers have played a remarkable role in the development of the american film, both independent and mainstream. Everything you need to know about black mass movie 2015. Black mass 19 sep friedrich nietzsche once famously wrote that he who fights with monsters must take care lest he become a monster and that lesson rests at the heart of scott coopers gangster biopic black mass. Black mass is an elegiac, carefully constructed film. Based on the book by boston globe reporters dick lehrand gerard oneill, black mass screenwriters mark mallouk and jez butterworthtake us through an indepth look at a local gangster making good on his promise to watch out for south boston just as he helps ruin it with drugs and murder before ultimately transforming into an untouchable. Cooper is clearly less interested in these parts of bulgers story, opting instead to give audiences a double character study of the two men. John connolly joel edgerton, bulgers childhood friend, has grown up to become an fbi agent, and the two make a complicated arrangement thats the focus of black mass.
Ellis is successful in her mission but soon finds herself falling in love with her mortal enemy. Black mass is a 2015 american biographical crime drama film produced and directed by scott cooper and written by mark mallouk and jez butterworth, based on dick lehr and gerard oneills 2001 book black mass. The film has an ensemble cast including johnny depp, joel edgerton, benedict cumberbatch, kevin bacon, jesse. Sep 15, 2015 the answer that black mass gives us is yes. Being the self that i am, i like to know the history of what happens in my city. Its a biographical tale of the whitey bulger, who happens to be a sibling of state senator and later uses fbi, by being its informant, to bring down an italian mafia. With johnny depp, benedict cumberbatch, dakota johnson, joel edgerton. The third film directed by scott cooper crazy heart, out of the furnace, black mass is slow but compelling. In 1970s south boston, fbi agent john connolly joel edgerton persuades irish mobster james whitey bulger johnny depp to collaborat. In south boston in the 1970s, fbi agent john connolly joel edgerton convinces irish mobster whitey bulger johnny depp to work with the fbi for a common goal. A fascinating episode in us history, worth finding out more about read the book by lehr and oneill, which is brilliantly researched.
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