See ‘Black Mass’ for the massively great acting

At one time, James “Whitey” Bulger was second only to Osama bin Laden on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Many times, such criminal kingpins become American folk heroes. They are seen as colorful characters who bucked the system and stood up to The Man. “Black Mass” doesn’t give us that kind of romanticized version of the Whitey Bulger story. And it’s a better movie for it.

“Black Mass” charts Bulger’s (Johnny Depp) rise to crime lord while mirroring that with the ascension of FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton). Connolly works out a deal with Bulger to acquire information on rival criminal organizations. Bulger sees this as a free pass to do whatever he wants. Blood is spilled, and the inevitable fall comes.

Some movie make it on visual spectacle of lots of laughs. “Black Mass” works because the acting is excellent. Depp stalks the frame, filled with intensity and malice. With his slicked-back hair and his piercing blue eyes, he looks a lot like a vampire. Maybe that was the point, that Bulger is sucking the life from everyone around him. I don’t know. All I know for sure is the Depp hasn’t been this good in years.

The rest of the cast is great, too. It’s weird hearing Benedict Cumberbatch speak with a South Boston accent, but he pulls it off convincingly. It’s nice to see Jessie Plemons here. He was one of the best things about the “Friday Night Lights” TV series. Cory Stoll doesn’t show up until two-thirds of the way through the film, but he makes his screen time count.

And then there’s Joel Edgerton. Edgerton steals the show as Connolly, a man who starts out with worthy goals, gets too big for his britches and loses himself in the process. It’s a terrific performance, and along with the unexpectedly great “The Gift,” marks Edgerton as a guy to watch.

“Black Mass” is far from a perfect movie, though. It suffers from a lack of urgency. The story meanders along from scene to scene without much drive. It feels like you’re watching real life instead of visual storytelling, and in this case, that’s not necessarily a good thing.

The film also spends a lot of time showing us that Bulger is evil, but doesn’t give much on how or why he became evil. It adds distance between you and the character when you don’t understand their perspective. “Black Mass” chooses to keep you at a distance, and that hurts its overall effectiveness.

If you can get past those flaws, along with the lame ending, then “Black Mass” is well worth watching. It’s a solid mob movie that’s filled with great acting. Sometimes, great acting is enough.

3 Indy Fedoras out of 5

MPAA Rating: R