Its a dark and exceedingly unsettling but also challenging and provocative historical drama, powered by a scorching lead performance. With enough unanswered questions for two sequels, the authors offer a pile of evidence that in south boston at least. No, instead this movie focuses on one part of his life, which historical movies have been doing a lot more of lately. In pointing out the absurd antics of our crazed leaders in black mass, john gray appears more satirist than philosopher of the post911 world. 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. 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 story of james whitey bulger mobsterturnedfbiinformantturnedfugitive is the stuff of great fiction. Whitey bulger, the fbi, and a devils deal lehr, dick, oneill, gerard on. The phrase, which essentially represents a perversion of the catholic mass, lehr.
Starring johnny depp, benedict cumberbatch, joel edgerton, dakota johnson, kevin bacon, jesse plemons, peter sarsgaard and corey stoll. Being the self that i am, i like to know the history of what happens in my city. Boston globe reporters lehr and oneill can be forgiven some of their caustic bitterness in their second book about bostons organized crime. Coopers direction is skillful, if overly reliant on borrowed scorseseisms especially when it comes to. Johnny depp doet zijn status als topacteur eindelijk weer eens eer aan. 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. Weeks is asked to tell the story of his best friend, and so it begins outside a bar. The eucharist and the mass is the highpoint of the catholic faith.
The third film directed by scott cooper crazy heart, out of the furnace, black mass is slow but compelling. 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. How the black mass authors watched their book come to life. Black mass would like to be the next goodfellas, or the departed, but its not. The film has an ensemble cast including johnny depp, joel edgerton, benedict. In this section you can find many books explaining the mass and the eucharist and why it is such an awesome gift from god. 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 spins a gripping yarn out of its factbased story and leaves audiences with one of johnny depps most compelling performances in years. A notorious crime boss in south boston is protected by a brother whos a state senator and a childhood friend who has become an fbi agent. Scott coopers whitey bulger saga is a confident and nasty film with impressive.
If johnny depps 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 bulgers south boston fiefdom and his complex relationship with the fbi. Black mass was one of the most interesting book that i have read. 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. To build mass, as wade states, high repetition calisthenics of the more basic variety are to be used. Black mass whitey bulger, the fbi and a devils deal by dick lehr. Oct 08, 2015 black mass would like to be the next goodfellas, or the departed, but its not.
The authors toyed with a few options including ties that blind before settling on black mass. To me, cmass is a lifting culture book, waxing philosophical about calisthenics and the nuances of achieving hardfought goals, and i love that about it. Now, with this powerful book, lehr and oneill bring the whole story into the open. 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 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. 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. At no point does this book turn into a dull narrative of just facts. Johnny depp and benedict cumberbatch as the bulger brothers and 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. Cooper is clearly less interested in these parts of bulgers story, opting instead to give audiences a double character study of the two men. Black mass is a new york times and boston globe bestseller, written by two former reporters who were on the case from the beginning. Character actors like dazed and confused s rory cochrane and breaking bads jesse plemons shun vanity and gain weight to portray whiteys altogether and. It leaves out the fat, packing only lean muscle but is surprisingly riveting. The true story of an unholy alliance between the fbi and the irish mob, written by boston globe reporters dick lehr and gerard oneil.
Each brothers power helped fuel the others rise, and billy bulger went on to run the state as senate president like it was own little business. But if youre a fan of gangster movies andor depp, black mass is. Its too unfocused and lacks zing for a movie with so many killings and nefarious activities, it is oddly. 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. Apocalyptic religion and the death of utopia by john gray allen lane. In wades book movements like onearm pushups, onearm pullups, pistol squats and the like are akin to the rep weightlifting sets and simpler movements like basic pushups, pullups, squats and the like are the 46 rep sets. Seeing history as a progressive narrative, especially one with a utopian ending, is a practice that has doomed earlier civilizations and threatens our own, argues gray european thoughtlondon school of economics. This book is a completely true story about bostons major criminals back in mid 1900s. I re read it after james whitey bulger was arrested and it was still excellent. Johnny depp shows the acting range weve wanted to see from him for years as bostons crime lord james whitey bulger. Its main objective was the profanation of the host, although there is no agreement among authors on how hosts were obtained or.
Sep 18, 2015 the film is based on the the nonfiction book black mass. 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. Whitey bulger, the fbi, and a devils deal kindle edition by lehr, dick, oneill, gerard. The film is based on the the nonfiction book black mass. So black mass follows boston gangster whitey bulger in the mid70s, and it chronicles not his rise to fame. Black mass by dick lehr meet your next favorite book. 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. Its too unfocused and lacks zing for a movie with so many killings and nefarious activities, it. Unlike the book black mass, where the journalists are the heroes, the film is. By sofia perpetua and robin lindsay on publish date september 17, 2015. It looks and feels like an important film although, despite a trailer that intentionally evokes the departed, it doesnt have any of the brio or ingenuity of a scorsese film. Based on the book of the same name by boston globe reporters dick lehr and gerard oneill, whose breaking of the story features briefly at the.
Black mass 2015, biography crime drama released in english language in theatre near you in. Johnny depp james whitey bulger, joel edgerton john connolly, benedict cumberbatch billy bulger, dakota johnson lindsey cyr, kevin bacon fbi agent. It makes for a bleak view of humanity dressed up in tacky 70s clothes and some of the worst hairstyles ever committed to film. Books on the catholic mass the eucharist and the mass is the highpoint of the catholic faith. Black mass is a work of rare lucidity, high drama, journalistic integrity, and plain courage. The book black mass also focuses on the fact that his rise to power went hand in hand with his powerful democrat brothers. 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. A black mass is a ceremony supposedly celebrated during the witches sabbath, which was a sacrilegious parody of the catholic mass. Deviations that slip into a calisthenics are the best method for all people and all goals mentality detract from the books strengths, although there were only a few instances of this. Sep 02, 2015 the authors toyed with a few options including ties that blind before settling on black mass. By the time connolly and bulger met, the young fbi agent had done his homework.
Apocalyptic religion and the death of utopia, treats fundamentalist islam and western triumphalism as similar and related phenomena. James carroll, author of an american requiem and boston globe columnist. 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 by dick lehr overdrive rakuten overdrive. Sep 18, 2015 johnny depp shows the acting range weve wanted to see from him for years as bostons crime lord james whitey bulger. Published first in latin under the title missale romanum, the text is then translated and, once approved by a recognitio by the vatican congregation for divine worship and the discipline of the sacraments, is published in modern languages for use in. Black mass whitey bulger, the fbi and a devils deal by dick lehr, gerard oneill paperback.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of catholic and noncatholics alike who dont really understand what the mass is about. 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. The film has an ensemble cast including johnny depp, joel. Kendi, whose provocative new book is titled, how to be an antiracist, says the notion that black people cant be racist is tainted by racism itself. How the black mass authors watched their book come to. Growing up in massachusetts, you couldnt get through childhood without hearing about whitey and the winter hill gang how whitey was untouchable by the fbi because his childhood friend, john connolly, made him an informant to take down rival gangs in the city and protected his. Its about how evil can flourish simply by being more charismatic and decisive than good. On paper, black mass sounds exactly like the kind of story that should be turned into a movie. The roman missal is the book containing the prescribed prayers, chants, and instructions for the celebration of mass in the roman catholic church. 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 nearly does this rich material justice, but not quite. May 01, 2000 black mass was one of the most interesting book that i have read. Roman missal united states conference of catholic bishops. 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.
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. The irish mob, the boston fbi, and a devils deal will be read by many. Black mass is a journalistic masterpiece, that tells the saga of whitey bulger and his deal with the fbi which he masterfully turned to his advantage. Mary the mother of christ, and mother of the church alleluia and gospel.
J ames whitey bulger johnny depp may very well have been one of the most feared men back in the 1970s and 80s. The irish mob, the boston fbi, and a devils deal will be read. If johnny depps 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 bulgers south boston fiefdom and his complex relationship with the. The books most immediate, political target is the iraq policy of tony blair and george w. The book for anyone who wants to understand this chapter in boston history. The true story of an unholy alliance between the fbi and the irish mob. But, black mass is no goodfellas, nor is it trying to be in any way. But if youre a fan of gangster movies andor depp, black mass is the. In some ways, the film, which is directed by scott cooper out of the furnace, is what you might call prestige adjacent. With johnny depp, benedict cumberbatch, dakota johnson, joel edgerton. It was stylish fun and its scenes are taught in film school as a testament of how to use music, shoot. Apocalyptic religion and the death of utopia, treats fundamentalist islam and western triumphalism as similar. 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. 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.