Review Roundup: Johnny Depp Stars as One of the Most Notorious Gangsters in U.S. History in BLACK MASS

Three-time Oscar nominee Johnny Depp stars as notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger in the drama BLACK MASS, directed by Scott Cooper.

In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster Jimmy Bulger (Depp) to collaborate with the FBI in order to eliminate their common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement while consolidating his power and becoming one of the most ruthless and dangerous gangsters in Boston history.

The film also stars Joel Edgerton as FBI Agent John Connolly; Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch as Whitey's brother, powerful State Senator Billy Bulger; Rory Cochrane as Steve Flemmi, Whitey's closest partner in crime; Jesse Plemons as Whitey's main henchman, Kevin Weeks; and Kevin Bacon as FBI Special Agent in Charge Charles McGuire.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

A.O. Scott, New York Times: It's possible, though, to think of the shortcomings of "Black Mass" as fitting comeuppance for Mr. Bulger. He may have thought he was a big deal, but in the end all he merits is a minor gangster movie.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Frustrating? At times, yes. But you forgive the zigs, zags, evasions and subplots for the hardcore power of Depp's performance and the film's portrait of moral rot on both sides of the law. If there's such a thing as a wild ride into the heart of darkness, this is it.

Scott Foundas, Variety: The icy blue eyes of notorious Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger stare out from the screen in Scott Cooper's "Black Mass" like the gaze of some confident jungle predator calmly lying in wait, holding his ground until the moment he moves in for the kill. And that same coolly calculated composure extends to every aspect of how the actor playing Bulger embodies the role, or rather disappears into it. But if Johnny Depp's mesmerizing performance - a bracing return to form for the star after a series of critical and commercial misfires - is the chief selling point of "Black Mass," there is much else to recommend this sober, sprawling, deeply engrossing evocation of Bulger's South Boston fiefdom and his complex relationship with the FBI agent John Connolly, played with equally impressive skill by Joel Edgerton. Something of an anti-"The Departed" (which was partly inspired by the Bulger case), the movie has an intentionally muted, '70s-style look and feel that may limit its appeal to the date-night multiplex crowd, but quality-starved adult moviegoers should flock to one of the fall's first serious, awards-caliber attractions.

Kristen Page-Kirby, The Washington Post: "Black Mass" holds together well enough, and director Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart," "Out of the Furnace") throws in some visually lovely, exceedingly memorable shots. Fitting the entirety of Bulger's story in a two-hour film would be impossible, but what "Black Mass" does tell is told well.

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: Black Mass is a title which might lead you to expect a great importance for the Catholic church which is, after all, so important in the neighbourhood - local kids became priests as well as cops and robbers. In fact, the church isn't too relevant. This is a secular, pessimistic tale about how gangsters are nurtured like microbes in a petri dish by corruption; it is acted and directed with tremendous confidence and verve.

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Johnny Depp does his finest acting in years as legendary Boston crime czar Whitey Bulger in "Black Mass," wiping away fears by his fans that the increasingly mannered actor has grown comfortable playing only fantasy characters like Captain Jack Sparrow and the Mad Hatter.

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: The movie itself is an intriguing but ultimately unspecial Feds-vs.-hoods drama. But as the sinister, snakelike South Boston criminal Whitey Bulger, Depp delivers.

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: It's a very good film about a very bad man. But as well-crafted and well-acted as it is, it never rises to greatness because we've been watching this story in one way or another going back to the time of Jimmy Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. Whitey may now be in good (which is to say, bad) company, but he's still the same old monster.

Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: After too many Caribbean vacations, Johnny Depp finally gets back down to some serious business in Black Mass, a major league real-life gangster film loaded with ripely presented murders, beatings, betrayals and vengeance-takings, all backed up by a deep-secret arrangement between Boston's top-dog criminal and the FBI. Even if director Scott Cooper's jump into big-time studio filmmaking feels familiar and derivative in some respects, he has taken care to borrow only from the best, and a top-notch cast socks over the many dramatic opportunities. Box-office prospects look potent.

Pete Hammond, Deadline: It is always the mark of a great movie when the credits roll and you want more. Bulger's later years hiding in plain sight are not really touched upon, but that aspect also could make a great character-driven movie one day. At any rate, what we have here is undeniably one of the year's best.

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