Black Mass (film)

Black Mass
Theatrical release poster
Directed byScott Cooper
Screenplay by
Based onBlack Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal
by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill[3]
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMasanobu Takayanagi
Edited byDavid Rosenbloom[4]
Music byTom Holkenborg[5]
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • September 4, 2015 (2015-09-04) (Venice)[1]
  • September 18, 2015 (2015-09-18) (United States)[2]
Running time
123 minutes[6]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$53 million[7]
Box office$100 million[8]

Black Mass is a 2015 American biographical crime drama film about American mobster Whitey Bulger. Directed by Scott Cooper and written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, it is based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill's 2000 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. The film features an ensemble cast led by Johnny Depp as Bulger, alongside Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, and Corey Stoll.

Principal photography of the film took place in Boston between May and August 2014. The film had its world premiere at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and was released by Warner Bros. worldwide on September 18, 2015. It received generally positive reviews and grossed $100 million on a $53 million budget.

  1. ^ Nick Vivarelli (July 24, 2015). "Johnny Depp-Starrer 'Black Mass' To World Premiere At Venice Film Festival". Variety.
  2. ^ Dave McNary (July 2014). "Johnny Depp Whitey Bulger Movie Release Date: Sept. 18, 2015". Variety.
  3. ^ Lehr, Dick; O'Neill, Gerard (May 22, 2012). Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1-61039-168-9.
  4. ^ "Filming Starts on Untitled Whitey Bulger Film, Starring Johnny Depp". Latino-Review.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  5. ^ "Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) to Score Scott Cooper's 'Black Mass' - Film Music Reporter". filmmusicreporter.com.
  6. ^ "BLACK MASS (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  7. ^ Pamela McClintock (September 16, 2015). "Box-Office Preview: 'Maze Runner: Scorch Trials' Hopes to Sprint Past 'Black Mass'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Black Mass (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 21, 2016.