Yesterday, the first look at Johnny Depp – looking very different from his normal self – as Boston gangster Whitey Bulger in **Black Mass **appeared online. That has been followed by some footage in the initial trailer for the film.
Johnny Depp is deadly serious in the tense first look at [#BlackMass](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackMass?src=hash). > > — Warner Bros. UK (@WarnerBrosUK) [April 23, 2015](https://twitter.com/WarnerBrosUK/status/591292381737058304)
Giving the film a Goodfellas vibe, the video is anchored by Depp’s Bulger at a dinner with an associate. When they initially refuse, but then give up the “family secret” behind an excellent steak sauce, the crime boss launches into a diatribe about letting secrets leak and how it could be lethal. Turns out, he’s cranking the tension up only to release it, but it’s quite the speech.
With Out Of The Furnace’s Scott Cooper directing, Black Mass tells the story of Bulger, who masterminded a violent gang in Boston while also reportedly turning federal informant to take down rivals. It seemed to be working out well – particularly with corrupt FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) helping to smooth things – but when the Bureau began making arrests, agents double-crossed Bulger and prosecuted him.
Bulger fled in 1994, was captured in 2011 in California and has since been sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus five years for his crimes.
Boasting an ensemble that also includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Juno Temple, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard and Julianne Nicholson, Black Mass will be out in the UK on September 25.