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Black Mass (I) (2015)

R  |   |  Biography, Crime, Drama  |  18 September 2015 (USA)
7.5
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Ratings: 7.5/10 from 21,234 users   Metascore: 68/100
Reviews: 134 user | 195 critic | 41 from Metacritic.com

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.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Brian Halloran
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Kevin Weeks
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Steve Flemmi
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John Morris
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Fred Wyshak
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John Martorano
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John Callahan
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Storyline

John Connolly and James "Whitey" Bulger grew up together on the streets of South Boston. Decades later, in the late 1970s, they would meet again. By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI's Boston office and Whitey had become godfather of the Irish Mob. What happened between them - a dirty deal to trade secrets and take down Boston's Italian Mafia in the process - would spiral out of control, leading to murders, drug dealing, racketeering indictments, and, ultimately, to Bulger making the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. Written by E Anderson and J. Breaux

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Keep your enemies close. See more »

Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal violence, language throughout, some sexual references and brief drug use | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Country:

Language:

Release Date:

18 September 2015 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Чeрная месса  »

Box Office

Budget:

$53,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$22,635,037 (USA) (18 September 2015)

Gross:

$54,022,657 (USA) (7 October 2015)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Johnny Depp left the project due to salary issues. He later returned in the lead role. See more »

Goofs

During a restaurant scene in Florida where a duffel filled with $20,000 is handled, a bottle of Jalapeno Tabasco Sauce is on the table. Tabasco released that flavor in 1993. See more »

Quotes

[from trailer]
John Connolly: Bulger's playing us, making a fool of the Bureau. We're in too deep, and he knows it! God help us all.
See more »

Crazy Credits

As the actors are listed, pictures and footage of the real people they portrayed are shown. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Someone Has to Review It!: Black Mass (2015) See more »

Soundtracks

Easy To Love
Written by Cole Porter
Performed by Oscar Peterson
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
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User Reviews

 
drudgery
20 September 2015 | by (Big Sky, United States) – See all my reviews

If you like slow, plodding movies full of unlikeable characters, by all means gear up for this sleep inducing film. Goodfellas is an action movie compared to Black Mass.

There are a few good qualities here: top shelf production, excellent acting, a clear, concise story of characters making poor choices - leading to predictable consequences.

But who cares? There's no entertainment here! None of these characters are worth giving a damn about, and the few sporadic scenes that offer any true value sit like islands on a still horizonless sea.

But I learned something... Really? This might be the number one reason to sit through this boring expanse, and the info is not worth it. The scumbags are scumbags, the protagonist is a weak, shallow excuse for a law enforcer, and the other surrounding characters are bland at best (including Benedict, who for all his talent, brings nothing of note to an already white bread affair). Speaking of white bread - No culture what-so-ever, and often these fat, out of shape gangsters look absurd in their early 80's sunglasses and attire. There will be no awards given for costuming or make-up here. True Depp is transformed with prosthetics, but as a friend and I joked - his character is far exceeded by the likes of Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder.

If you've seen the trailer, you've been robbed of one of the films three or four memorable moments. Interestingly, all of these good scenes are just spice to the meat of the film. This is not a good thing! When the main arc is dull, the violence (while realistic) lacks stylistic punctuation, and the constant voice overs are delivered with apathy... one wonders what the hell the director was thinking!

Waste of time, even for fans of actors involved.

my score? a disappointingly average 5 out of 10.


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