In ‘Black Mass,’ Johnny Depp is an eerie menace: 3 stars

It’s a miracle James “Whitey” Bulger ever got caught.

The mob kingpin operated just beyond the reach of law enforcement for nearly 50 years, the last two decades of which were spent in hiding, earning him the second slot on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List — behind Osama bin Laden.

But in 2011, at the age of 81, Bulger was brought to justice.

“Black Mass” doesn’t scrutinize much of Bulger’s activity while on the run. Instead, this subtle but engrossing drama details the 20-year span when the murderer built his Winter Hill Gang into Boston’s most-feared crime organization with the complicit aid of the FBI.

“It’s not what you do. It’s when and where you do it,” Bulger (a can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him Johnny Depp) explains. “If nobody sees it, it didn’t happen.”

As youths in the Southie area of the city, Bulger helped save John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) from a neighborhood bully. Now Connolly is an FBI agent who believes his best chance of taking down the Italian syndicate is to partner with the Irish gangster Bulger. The enemy of my enemy, etc. Thus, Bulger — the ultimate “I ain’t no rat” loyalist — becomes an informant. Or does he?

Complicating the unholy alliance is Bulger’s brother, Bill (Benedict Cumberbatch, in a somewhat thankless role), who happens to be a straight-arrow state senator. Or is he?

This is the fourth criminals vs. Feds biopic in which Depp has played a real-life character. Whether “Black Mass” eclipses “Donnie Brasco,” “Blow” or “Public Enemies” remains debatable, but Depp’s performance emerges as more memorable, perhaps Oscar-worthy. And it’s certainly less gimmicky than his eccentric turns as the Mad Hatter and Willy Wonka.

Oddly enough, he’s given very little substance to draw from. The real Bulger remains an enigma and refused to talk to Depp or filmmakers. His bizarre backstory ranges from volunteering for LSD experiments while locked up in Alcatraz to enduring a devastating family tragedy, despite nobody knowing he even had a kid until his capture.

But it’s up to Depp to interpret the man’s demeanor behind these details. He opts for a gravelly voiced delivery, slicked-back hair, a dead tooth and an arctic stare. He looks like “Nosferatu”-era Klaus Kinski. More monster than mobster.

Writers Mark Mallouk (a Kansas City native and KU grad) and Jez Butterworth (“Edge of Tomorrow”) adapted a book of the same title by the Boston Globe reporters who first unraveled the FBI connection. Under director Scott Cooper (much improved since his dismal revenge drama “Out of the Furnace”), the film confines the story to a more easily digestible stretch from 1975 to 1994 — Bulger’s golden age — portioning out intriguing new supporting characters with each act. Peter Sarsgaard as a coked-up weasel and Corey Stoll as a blunt prosecutor resonate most.

“Black Mass” will likely be remembered for two consecutive, classic mob-movie scenes. First, Bulger attends a barbecue at Connolly’s home, with steak furnished by fellow agent John Morris (David Harbour). The way the master intimidator pounces on Morris’ trivial comment about a “family secret” marinade evokes the “Am I a clown? Do I amuse you?” showstopper in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.”

Then, Bulger heads upstairs for a disturbing encounter with Connolly’s wife (Julianne Nicholson), stroking her hair and probing why she did not join the men at the dinner table.

The film doesn’t possess the cinematic flair of the inevitably comparable “Goodfellas” (although it lovingly embraces those muted browns, greens and golds of the mid-’70s). Yet the less-stylized presentation proves an appropriate fit for such a complex tale. This is apparent during end credits that flash black-and-white photos and FBI surveillance footage of the principals involved. The distance from which these cold images are taken doesn’t lessen their impact.

Bulger falls into that “banality of evil” category. A covert despot. An unknowable wraith of a man. At least “Black Mass” finds a way to portray his scuzzy story in a way that doesn’t feel banal.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 8:00 AM with the headline "In ‘Black Mass,’ Johnny Depp is an eerie menace: 3 stars."