2015 hit Johnny Depp crime thriller debuts on Netflix this week

This week, a successful film starring Johnny Depp is airing on Netflix.

Depp has of course acted in a variety of genres during his 40-year film career, from horror (Sleepy Hollow) and action comedies (the Pirates of the Caribbean series) and musicals (Sweeney Todd: The Devilish Barber of Fleet Street) to fantasy (Edward Scissorhands and Alice in Wonderland), dramas (Finding Neverland) and animation (Corpse Bride And Rangoon).

The three-time Oscar-nominated actor has also starred in a number of successful crime thrillers during his career, including Public enemies—as real gangster John Dillinger—and Black Mass from 2015.

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The last one, Black Mass—in which Depp plays notorious crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger—debuts on Netflix on Thursday, September 12. While Depp’s performance in Bulger didn’t earn him an Oscar nomination, he did earn Best Actor nominations from the Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Association.

The logline for Black Mass reads: “The true story of Whitey Bulger, a senator’s brother and the most notorious violent criminal in South Boston history, who became an FBI informant to bring down a Mafia family that was invading his turf.”

Bulger was murdered in a federal prison in 2018 at the age of 89.

How was ‘Black Mass’ received by audiences and critics?

Released on September 18, 2015, Black Mass continued earning, per The numbersnearly $62.6 million in the US and $36.2 million internationally, for a worldwide gross of $98.8 million, against a production budget of $53 million before prints and advertising.

Rotten tomatoes critics meanwhile gave Black Mass a 73% “fresh” rating based on 292 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus is: “Black Mass spins a gripping tale from his fact-based story — and leaves the audience with one of Johnny Depp’s most compelling performances in years.”

Black Mass also achieved a 68% “fresh” Audience Score on RT based on over 10,000 user reviews.

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Directed by Scott Cooper, Black Mass It also stars several well-known actors, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Joel Edgerton, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Adam Scott, Juno Temple, Corey Stoll and David Harbour.

Depp transformed his appearance to play James “Whitey” Bulger via prosthetic makeup. When he discussed the process with Variety In a 2015 interview, he said he worries about whether audiences will accept the looks of his characters, but that this is no longer the case once filming is completed.

“I wasn’t worried at all, just because what’s done is done. But I want the audience to lose themselves,” Depp said Variety. “When they see what they know is this guy Johnny Depp and all his baggage and all his movies, I want them to forget about me. That’s the big test.

“If I can get them in three to five minutes, I’m good,” Depp added. “But if they immediately say, ‘I’m looking at a guy with makeup on,’ then I’m in trouble.”

Rated R, Black Mass can be seen on Netflix from Thursday.

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