I sometimes feel that I am always writing the same sort of film review when I do this; I always seem to rave, find amazing and new things to comment on but on reflection I think this is because I choose my films carefully..and not reading reviews to help me which I tend to try to eschew before seeing so that I can go to the film fresh. However the down side is this means, essentially, that I do not go outside my comfort zone ( which I must admit is pretty damn wide) but again I am not going to waste money on stuff I think is rubbish. But am always keen to take recommendations from friends
So the usual start; this was a superb grimly gripping film and finally after a LONG time we are reminded that Depp is a very fine actor who does not need to go through the motions in the latest production from the Tim Burton factory or Pirates of the Caribbean 27 or whatever one they have reached...does anyone still watch these btw? Sadly the answer must be ' yes and many' or they would not continue to make them...
The story of Whitey Bulger as a manipulative ' informant and gangland chief in Boston is fascinating and the strength of the toxic ' brotherhood' ( strong shades of Blood Brothers, the best musical BISW has ever done) between those who grew up in a family in a tough area with the cement of the Church is chillingly shown..not least in the side story of W's brother who became an eminent politician but clearly never truly left his origins...which is perhaps understandable and/ or commendable but even so... B. Cumberbatch is superb in this role and it struck me that he was very rarely if ever shown looking directly at the cameras, if he is surreptitiously ashamed of what he is tacitly condoning. I am pretty sure this is deliberate as another superb and fascinating aspect of the film is the very deliberate framing of shots and choice of camera movement...or not. It is, I think, as deliberate and conscious as in a Wes Anderson film but the difference here is that it is not done for its own sake, which I think is often the case with Anderson, because it suits the artificiality of his films,but here it is done for dramatic reasons. There were many static wide shots which then drew back slowly as if to give us time to think of the implications of what we had seen. A marvelous demonstration of technique being properly used for dramatic effect.
Also the film was very restrained in many interesting ways. The closing and opening music was with a static and peaceful quality but there was again bit of gruesomely graphic and pleasingly realistic violence ( pleasing, as I hate fake violence on the screen; violence is vile and painful and it should be shown as such). Throughout the film there was, dramatically and emotionally, a slow steady beat of dread and menace.
With Depp's performance, aside from his physical transformation,he had totally dead eyes ( or was that just in my mind given the nature of the character?) and he hardly ever smiled. If he did it was small, could best be described as a teeth baring and revealed really bad front teeth-physical reflection of emotional/ moral state?
Anyway a superb film utterly gripping...and possibly Oscar worthy...see it.