Black Mass 4K Ultra HD Review

THE MOVIE — 3½/5

Plot Synopsis: In 1970s South Boston, FBI agent John Connolly (JOEL EDGERTON) persuades Irish mobster, and childhood friend, James “Whitey” Bulger (JOHNNY DEPP) to collaborate with the FBI in order to eliminate their common enemy: the Italian mob. The film tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Bulger to evade law enforcement while escalating his power to become one of the most notorious gangsters in U.S. history.

Review: On the surface, Black Mass seemed like a top-notch crime-drama with an all-star and very talented cast. There were plenty of similarities with Scorsese’s The Departed unfortunately this never lives up to the expectations and it’s easy to see why it didn’t garner much award consideration that I’m sure the studio was hoping for. That being said, even as a B-level mobster flick, it does hold some entertainment value and never drags or becomes dull.

One of the biggest reasons is, unsurprisingly, the performance from Johnny Depp, transforming himself into Bulger who is as modern day, and vicious, mobster as John Gotti, and is a tad more recent with his capture only a few years ago after 12 years on the run. The make-up work isn’t entirely the best but Depp gets lost in the role and combined with his cold-blooded blue eyes (contacts presumably), he rightfully portrays Bulger as a frightening figure. However, we also get a glimpse into his personal life such as how the deaths of his son and mother turned him into an even more violent figure and his relationship with his politician brother, Billy Burger (BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH).

The other standout is Joel Edgerton who plays Agent Connolly, a man so corrupt turning a blind eye to Whitey’s horrid crimes including several murders all to line his own pockets and rise to fame within the FBI and convincing others around him that Whitey was a major asset including his own partner, John Morris (DAVID HARBOUR), and his boss Charles McGuire (KEVIN BACON).

Black Mass was helmed by Scott Cooper, a director on the rise responsible for 2009’s Crazy Heart, itself known for an amazing performance from Jeff Bridges who would go on to win an Academy Award. But as good as the acting has been in his three films (Out of the Furnace, bleak as it was, still had solid outings for Christian Bale and Casey Affleck), none of them quite reach the levels that they could have. Here, this was poised to be on the same playing field, or within reach, of the likes of The Departed but falls far short. I can’t place my finger on why but it compared with Departed or Goodfellas it is rather pedestrian in spite of an amazing cast.

In the end, as flawed as Black Mass might be and it doesn’t take advantage of an interesting, if not brutal, character of Whitey Bulger, who was one of the most vile human beings amongst others in the mobster line, is kept at arms lengths in spite of a fascinating true story (though from what I understand, there are some real pieces of fiction strewn throughout) of an FBI agent getting into bed with someone like Bulger and Bulger utilizing it to serve for his own growth and infiltration into South Boston’s criminal empire.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 3/5

The Manhunt for Whitey Bulger (1:01:38) is a documentary on Bulger and how he was ultimately captured.

Black Mass: Deepest Cover, Darkest Crime (23:00) looks at the making of the film and features interviews with the cast and crew talking about their characters and the plot.

Johnny Depp: Becoming Whitey Bulger (12:24) shows the process the actor made transforming into Bulger including the make-up. It’s pretty basic, interspersed comments by Depp with footage from the film.

VIDEO – 4½/5

Black Mass arrives on 4K Ultra HD where it’s presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and now given a 2160p high-definition transfer. This 4K picture mostly looks fine but, and without doing a direct comparison, not terribly impressive and can’t imagine it’s a significant upgrade over the 1080p Blu-ray. Still, detail was decent enough and colors tamped down for the gritty storyline and characters.

AUDIO – 3¾/5

The movie includes a low key DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. I found the audio here to be okay but ultimately lackluster with dialogue levels I found to be a bit weak while the era-appropriate music giving it a some depth yet still this isn’t an amazing lossless track.

OVERALL — 3½/5

Black Mass was a decent movie however with this cast lineup and an interesting figure in the history of mobsters, I didn’t find it terribly compelling and as good of a performance Depp gives, his look was distracting.