Johnny Depp makes a great comeback in 'Black Mass'

Johnny Depp in Black Mass

Johnny Depp used to be one of Hollywood's most interesting leading men. He never played conventional roles and didn't let his good looks define him.

But then relatively late in his career what had previously been unthinkable happened -- he became a bankable A-list star.

Suddenly, he started cranking out low-risk, family-friendly fare. And his once enticing quirkiness became increasingly stale and gimmicky with each subsequent release.

After the moribund recent "comedy" Mordecai came and went from theaters with a resounding thud earlier this year, I thought perhaps we'd seen this once great actor's total flameout.

But then came Black Mass, the new gangster film featuring a barely recognizable Depp as the infamous Boston crime lord "Whitey" Bulger. The movie surrounding Depp doesn't exactly break new ground, but it is wildly entertaining and mostly thanks to a top-notch performance by its star.

Depp says totally reinvigorated here. Perhaps the heavy make-up liberated him. He looks positively reptilian in this film. And instead of presenting an over-the-top caricature of a monster, he plays all sorts of nuances and shades of an admittedly troubled man. You walk away wanting to know more about the real Bulger which is a tribute to Depp's acting more than the film's power -- I suspect the accuracy police are already hard at work debunking it, but I digress.

The gangster genre has been good to Depp. First with Donnie Brasco and then more recently with Michael Mann's underrated John Dillinger epic Public Enemies. The violence and sexual aggressiveness of these films contrasts nicely with Depp's occasionally soft and even effeminate off-screen persona.

In these types of films he effectively plays against type, unleashing a ferociousness that is buried in his more elfin roles, and it's a sight to behold. And although he is the best thing about Black Mass, he's not the only terrific part in it.

It's a fascinating story that at times seems to stretch believability a fair amount but the real center of the film is Joel Edgerton in a loose and amusing performance as an FBI agent who's a little too close to the hoods who are informing for him. After The Gift, this is another home run for Edgerton, who's rapidly emerging as one of the most intriguing new leading men in movies.

But this movie stands as proof that Depp isn't ready to cede his stature to a new generation of up-and-coming male stars. He still has some gas left in the tank. I'm sad to see he plans to make more Pirates movies in the near future. For me, the first was charming and more than enough.

He should stick to films like Black Mass which provides a real showcase for his unique and unpredictable talent.