Johnny Depp is arguably one of the most “forgiven” actors in Hollywood. Many of his recent films have been lackluster at best, and some (THE TOURIST and MORTDECAI come to mind) were downright awful. Yet it seems like he’s still beloved among fans, and even critics tend to cut him some slack as he’s just so damn charming on screen. His newest cinematic effort isn’t a glamorous one, and comes from director Scott Cooper (OUT OF THE FURNACE). In BLACK MASS, Depp stars as notorious South Boston gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger. It’s a daring turn for the typically good guy actor, and one of the more impressive performances of the year… but does it save the rather by-the-numbers film?

Most of the production is told in flashback as the various players in the narrative give confessions to the cops several years later. The initial story opens in 1975, with Bulger fresh out of prison and back on the streets of South Boston. We quickly see he hasn’t left his criminal ways behind, and even fellow thugs who backtalk him aren’t long for this world. Bulger has a son with girlfriend Lindsey Cyr (Dakota Johnson), and an older mother he regularly checks in on, but he still finds time to run criminal activity. With the mafia breathing down his neck, the crime boss decides to form an unlikely alliance with FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), allowing him to continue business as usual so long as he provides the agency with occasional tips. His brother Billy Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a State Senator just trying to do his own thing, and wants to stay out of the secretive alliance. Connolly’s boss Charles McGuire (Kevin Bacon) sees the union between Bulger and the agency as a waste of time, and believes John is preventing what could be an easy take down of the city’s biggest criminal. As Bulger slides info to Connolly through the years, their arrangement seems to be benefiting the two of them more than anyone else, causing Connolly to eventually lose his integrity as an authority figure.

On the surface BLACK MASS is a strong character piece with great performances from an impressive cast, but in the end it feels a little too familiar to be considered anything special. Scott Cooper does a great job of building tension and keeping us engaged, and manages to find some unexpected opportunities to allow his actors to shine. Depp may be billed as the star, but this almost feels more like Joel Edgerton’s movie. The character of Bulger starts to feel more like the obligatory villain in a story centering around John Connolly’s actions. And perhaps this is the result of the story behind Connolly being more interesting than that of Whitey Bulger. Edgerton is strong in his performance and really carries the narrative with admirable ease. He’s a sort of antihero that seems admirable at first, but lets his connection with Bulger corrupt him slowly but surely. It’s a fascinating arc to follow, and a great showcase role for the underrated star. Depp’s unrecognizable turn as Bulger is pretty great, and he really sells the creepy factor of the famous crime boss, but there just isn’t much to the role other than being a scary presence. Time and time again there are moments where he shows his darkest side, and it works rather well, but in the end that’s all there is to him. If you’re looking for Depp to have some sort of character arc, there unfortunately isn’t one. Cumberbatch is good as Billy Bulger, but kind of feels more like stunt casting that anything else.

Some of the strongest supporting performances come from Jesse Plemons and Rory Cochrane as Bulger’s right hand men – both actors are always excellent, but these roles really give them a chance to show it. I was particularly impressed with Cochrane, who is used far too infrequently these days but always does a great job. Kevin Bacon is also terrific as the thorn in Connolly’s side, though he’s not used as much as I hoped he would be. He’s mostly seen with Adam Scott as another FBI agent, an unlikely role for the normally comedic actor. One of the best of the ensemble performances is Corey Stoll as a prosecutor who shows up late in the story, and really begins to question the truth behind the unholy Bulger/FBI alliance. Oh, and Peter Saarsgard is incredible as a drug-addicted snitch who runs with Bulger briefly, really selling the idea of a seedy guy who genuinely looks like he’s on something.

The strongest thing about BLACK MASS is the exceptional cast, all of them giving 110% in their respective roles and making this feel like a solid crime drama from a few decades past. But the film just never seems to show us anything unique, and the bleak nature of the narrative makes it the kind of movie you won’t likely want to revisit. This is Cooper’s third film after CRAZY HEART and OUT OF THE FURNACE, and while I enjoyed both of these efforts I’ve yet to find his filmmaking the kind I’d strongly recommend to anyone. What he excels at is performances, pulling the strongest possible effort out of his cast, and sometimes that makes the shortcomings of a project forgivable. While this latest production isn’t necessarily bad, it’s also sadly nothing all that memorable.

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