By Susan Granger
“Black Mass” revolves around James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp), South Boston’s criminal kingpin. His extraordinary power emanated from his friendship with FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), who masterminded the destruction of the rival Italian Mafia, utilizing information fed to him by Bulger.
And it didn’t hurt that Whitey’s brother, Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch), was a powerful, highly respected politician, rising to the presidency of the Massachusetts State Senate.
Back in 1975, Whitey Bulger was approached by his ambitious childhood friend Connolly to inform on other criminals. Instead of considering it “ratting,” they felt they’d made a mutually profitable “business opportunity.”
“An alliance like this doesn’t weaken you,” Connolly assured him. “It makes you stronger.”
After that, Whitey’s tight-knit Winter Hill gang engaged in extortion, loan-sharking, drug-dealing, murder, even smuggling weapons to the IRA – with impunity – until Boston Globe journalists Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill revealed the truth about the corruption.
Based on Lehr and O’Neill’s “Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil’s Deal” (2001), it’s adapted by Mark Mallouk and Jaz Butterworth, structured around actual testimony, and ferociously directed by Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”), evoking memories of “Goodfellas,” “The Godfather,” and “The Departed.”
Johnny Depp delivers what may be considered the best of his career: a serious, totally convincing portrayal of this menacing Irish mobster. Having garnered Oscar nominations for “Sweeney Todd,” “Finding Neverland,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” this may be Depp’s turn to win.
Depp’s physical transformation into balding, blue-eyed Whitey was created by Joel Harlow, his longtime make-up artist. Plus, there are superb supporting turns from Julianne Nicholson, Peter Sarsgaard, Kevin Bacon, Dakota Johnson, Juno Temple and Corey Stoll.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Black Mass” is a seedy, sadistic 7, featuring Johnny Depp as the sociopathic crime lord.
Halloween horror season starts early with “The Visit,” M. Night Shyamalan’s strangely creepy, suspenseful tale of a brother and sister who spend a week on their maternal grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm.
Realizing that their recently divorced mother (Kathryn Hahn) needs a vacation, teenage Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her rap-loving younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) encourage her to take a cruise with her boyfriend.
Having disapproved of their mother’s marriage to their father, the grandparents have been estranged for years and have never met the grandkids but are now eager to mend the relationship. So aspiring filmmaker Becca intends to make a documentary about this experience.
Meeting the train, Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) are, admittedly, a bit odd. Nana’s always baking and laughs hysterically in a rocking chair, facing the wall. And Pop Pop can be unexpectedly curt, cautioning them to never leave their bedroom after 9:30 p.m.
Hearing strange nocturnal noises, they peek out and spy Nana wandering around nude, clawing the walls. Pop Pop explains that she’s “sundowning,” a medical term referring to dementia patients’ reacting restlessly or aggressively when evening approaches.
Becca functions as commentator as they curiously explore their mother’s childhood home and come to realize how age has impaired their grandparents’ functionality, resulting in bizarre behavior.
Utilizing weird camera angles and a “found footage” gimmick, Shyamalan then delivers a stunning twist to this intense family drama.
In 1999, writer/director M. Night Shyamalan catapulted into pop culture with “The Sixth Sense,” followed by “Signs,” “The Village” and “Unbreakable.” Unfortunately, his next four films – “Lady in the Water,” “The Happening,” “The Last Airbender” and “After Earth” – misfired.
Collaborating on TV’s quirky “Wayward Pines,” Shyamalan learned how to create chaotic visual energy with fewer resources. Which led to this comedic thriller, financed with $5 million of his own money.
On the Granger Gauge, “The Visit” is a spooky, scary 6. As Nana says, “You have to laugh to keep the deep darkies in a cave.”
If you enjoy richly observed, cross-cultural character studies, “Learning to Drive” should appeal to you.
When she’s is abruptly dumped by her longtime husband, Manhattan literary critic Wendy Shields (Patricia Clarkson) is forced to sell their brownstone and begin life anew in a tiny apartment.
Determined to become more self-sufficient but scared of getting behind the wheel of a car, Wendy decides to take driving lessons from dignified Darwan Singh Tur (Ben Kingsley), who gently but firmly refuses to allow her to quit, even when she’s terrified crossing the Queensboro Bridge.
“You can’t always trust people to behave properly,” Darwan cautions.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Wendy murmurs.
A devout, highly principled, Indian-American Sikh, Darwan has his own problems; as an immigrant wearing a turban in post-9/11 New York, he’s often harassed by taunting racists, yelling, “Osama!”
In addition, Darwan’s sister has arranged a marriage, dispatching a bride (Sarita Choudhury) whom he meets for the first time when she arrives at the airport, carrying her traditional wedding dress.
Amusingly adapted from Katha Polin’s autobiographical New Yorker essay and amiably directed by Isabel Coixet, it’s basically a metaphor-filled, sympathetically nuanced two-hander for Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley, who previously co-starred in Coixet’s “Elegy” (2008).
On the Granger Gauge, “Learning to Drive” is a delicate, sensitive 6 – teaching nuanced lessons about self-empowerment, reinvention and simply moving forward.
( Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
