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Black Mass poster

Film · 2015

Black Mass

Directed by Scott Cooper · starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton and Benedict Cumberbatch

  • 2 h 2 min
  • 15
  • Action · Crime · Drama
  • USA
  • Released in the UK 26 November 2015
  • 7.1 AverageMovieNCo
  • 6.4 Users26 votes
  • 7.8 Critics7 reviews
Watch trailer Where to watch · from £3.49 Rate it

Synopsis

Johnny Depp regains the critics enthusiasm with 'Black Mass', in which he plays James 'Whitey' Bulger, the don of the Irish Mob in Boston. Bulger grew up being friends with John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), who would end up becoming an important person at the Boston FBI. Due to their friendship, agent Connolly connives Bulger's endless crimes, an attitude that will end in a loop of murders and drug dealing that will affect both environments, including Whitey's brother, powerful senator Billy Bulger. Scott Cooper directs a film about a criminal plot that would made Whitey one of the FBI's most wanted men. Besides Johnny Depp, 'Black Mass' has in its cast Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, Jesse Plemons, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll, Juno Temple and Julianne Nicholson.

Where to watch Black Mass

All the options

Available now in the UK:

Availability checked on 8 November 2026.

The essentials

Runtime
122 min2 hours and 2 minutes
Budget
$65mWarner Bros. Pictures
Box office
$57.6m0.9 times its budget
Rating
15Suitable only for 15 years and over
How long is Black Mass?
2 hours and 2 minutes (122 minutes).
When was Black Mass released in the UK?
It was released in the UK on 26 November 2015.
Who directed Black Mass?
Scott Cooper.
Who is in Black Mass?
It stars Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch and Dakota Johnson.
Where can I watch Black Mass?
In the UK it is available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video.
How much did Black Mass make?
It took $57.6 million in US. It cost $65 million.
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Cast

Full cast (25)
Director
Scott Cooper
Writers
Jez Butterworth
Producers
Scott Cooper, Phil Hunt, Brian Oliver, Brett Ratner

Videos and trailers

All 2 videos
'Black Mass' Trailer #2 1:4922 May 2015

Photos and posters

All 11 photos

Reviews

All 7 reviews
6.4 26 votes
  • 100 %
  • 94 %
  • 84 %
  • 746 %
  • 615 %
  • ≤531 %

What the critics say average 7.8 from 7 outlets

  • 8.7 Rolling StonePeter Travers "You will forgive the zigs, zags, evasions and subplots by the mighty power of Depp's performance and the portrait the movie does of the moral rot on both sides of the law." Read
  • 8.0 The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthy "After spending too much time in the Caribbean, Johnny Depp finally goes back to serious work on 'Black Mass', a gangster movie based on real events playing in the big leagues." Read
  • 8.0 FotogramasManu Yáñez "Cooper gets to control his nostalgia and cinefilia to give some truth to his characters (...) Depp deserves special comment(...) his portrayal of" Withey "Bulger is his best work since, probably… Read

Box office

Weekend by weekend
  • Budget $65m
  • US $57.6m
  • UK £3m

Awards

All the awards

Soundtrack

All 16 songs
  1. It's Not My Cross to BearThe Allman Brothers Band
  2. The Two Lonely PeopleBill Evans Spotify
  3. Polka Dots and MoonbeamsWes Montgomery Spotify
  4. Warm WaysFleetwood Mac Spotify

Trivia

  • Johnny Depp tried multiple times to speak to Whitey Bulger while preparing for the role to which Bulger declined.

  • Johnny Depp said that this is his favorite out of all the films he has done.

  • Despite filming a substantial amount of scenes as Catherine Greig, Sienna Miller's part was cut for pacing reasons.

  • The word "fuck" is said 254 times throughout the film.

  • This is the second time that Benedict Cumberbatch and Julianne Nicholson star in a movie together. They were previously in 'Agosto' (2013).

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