"Thank God for Whitey Bulger" Black Mass Review

BLACK MASS REVIEW

Black Mass is a riveting true story of the rise and fall of Irish-American crime lord James ‘Whitey’ Bulger (played fantastically by Johnny Depp). The story spans over 30 years and begins with introducing Bulger in 1975 as the leader of the South-Boston based Winter Hill Gang. Without trying to give too much away, the movie covers the most significant events of the Bulger's life in order for the audience to try and make sense of how and why he ended up being on top of FBI Most Wanted list for 12 years.

Black Mass features an incredibly talented all-star cast including Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch and, of course, Johnny Depp. All three give great performances of their respective roles but it is, without a shadow of a doubt, Johnny Depp who outshines all the rest. Depp’s portrayal of Bulger had me feeling sadness, discomfort and outright fear. There are a number of scenes when his character dominates not just the people on screen but also the people watching, especially in the later scenes when he is quite unstable. There is no scene in particular that comes to mind and those of you who have seen the film probably know the one I am referring to and those of you who haven’t seen it will know it when you see it. I suffered a little from a little condition a call ‘Cinema-Seat-Paralysis’ during this particular scene and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Unfortunately, I can’t really speak much to the Boston accents in the film as I have never really been exposed to it in my life, however, I was able to understand everything that was being said so I’m happy. It was also very interesting watching this film as someone who had never heard of Bulger before the movie started, maybe it’s because I was raised between Ireland and England but news of Bulger and his crimes never reached my ears though I was never really one for the news of the world.

Critics and users reviews have criticised the film because it not all guns and explosions from start to finish like some similar films, but to be honest I seriously enjoyed the more intimate and personal take on the story and I feel that it gave the actors a chance to really pour some of their talent in to the roles. Not every film with a criminal at the centre needs to be ‘high-octane’ bullshit that ends up being forgotten by the time the credits finish. Black Mass is certainly not that.

The film isn’t perfect however and I think that one of its most prominent flaws is the lack of screen time for some of the interesting supporting characters, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Billy Bulger being at the top of this list. Billy Bulger is not only the brother of ‘Whitey’, he is also a leading member of the Massachusetts Senate. I feel this is contrast between the two brothers, who were quite close, could have been better utilised to make some truly dynamic moments. Unfortunately, the number of scenes with Benedict Cumberbatch could be counted on one hand. Such as waste.

Overall though, the film is excellent. Well worth going to see if you are interested by the source material or simply a fan of Johnny Depp. There are some spectacularly shocking moments filled with sadness and fear that make the viewer almost sympathise with Bulger from time to time but only from the beginning to the middle, after that Bulger jumps to an eleven on the psycho scale. Enjoy!

8/10

Struggling...

Pretty Girls - Karin Slaughter

So I finally finished Karin Slaughter newest book. It is a stand alone Novel similar to Cop Town. It's all about a family who is wrought with tragedy and how all the questions they have had throughout the last year's all come into place. Claire Scott is our primary character, she loses her husband at the beginning of the book and starts to search through his things after his funeral which leads to more questions than answers. We then have her sister Lydia Carroll, they haven't spoken after an event tore them apart but the events of Claire's husband death pulls them back together. Paul Scott is the man of the book, Claire's husband.

Now I don't want to reveal too much as I don't want to spoil the story but I did struggle to finish this book. At just over 500 pages I should have been able to finish in less than a day but it took me three! The story was very slow and full of "what the hell are you doing???!!! " which I hate in a book, I mean I know the actions of the characters are to build the story but sometimes they are just being stupid. As she was in this book.

The characters were a little one dimensional until the end of the book after everything is sorted which only lasts for a few pages which is a shame I would've liked to read more of the characters interact at the end.

The story itself was good a little predictable in terms of who the bad guy is but, it is a crime book so I guess predictability is inevitable. It was quite dark and similar to her Triptych the way the victims were killed was quite brutal.

I will end this review with one point. Why doesn't she finish the Grant County series. That series requires one more book just to wrap up the ending and the future for Sara and Will and she hasn't done anything!! These stand alones are all well and good but it's Sara that I love and want to read more of especially now she has Will.

Pretty Girls is not a book I would read again. It was pretty average for Karin Slaughter who normally I can't put down her books. 

5/10 

It was very low standard when compared to her previous novels and was a pretty pointless book at the end of the day.

Thriller at it's Best

Triptych – Karin Slaughter

Triptych, now this new!

In 1985 a brutal rape and murder took place, John Shelley was the accused and was in prison for his last bit of childhood and the beginning of his adult life. Now he is out and remaining under the radar with his surprise visits from his parole officer. That is until he finds out someone is using his identity – for what? That’s what he needs to find out!

Gone are the characters from the Grant County series and say hello to our new characters for the Will Trent series!

Special Agent Will Trent, Trent is our loveable new character. He is severely dyslexic but he takes it in his stride. He has been chosen to be a part of Amanda Wagner (who you may remember from Indelible) new team. He offers his services to Atlanta police detective Michael Ormewood when faced with a string of rapes and now a murder. He is a sweet character who you can’t help but love.

Angie Polaski, Angie is a vie cop who seems to have her claws hooked in Will. They have known each other since being children in the orphanage and she offers up information regarding Will and his past. It’s safe to say that while you love Will, you hate Angie for what she does. She is a good cop and you do feel sorry for her considering her job but she doesn’t make it easy to like her.

John Shelley, John is our victim here; he was put in prison and a young age for the killing of Mary Alice a childhood friend. He has finally got out and wants nothing more than to live under the radar. He’s got himself and a job and an apartment (albeit crappy), he spots Robin a prostitute who becomes the apple of his eye. You cannot help but feel sorry for John; he is like the sweet, young, lost boy that you imagine being the nerd in the class. But John is far from giving up when he finds out someone is trying to ruin his life (again) You begin to relate to John while he goes through his old court cases and tries to proof his innocence.

Slaughter has stuck to what she knows but has changed it up just a little. Similar to Indelible the story flits between past and present. She involves different characters but does what she does best and brings them all together at the end.

Triptych is the first in the Will Trent series, and it introduces the series extremely well. You get to learn about Will and his past and read an interesting story along the way.

This book is a very readable read! Being the first in the series it can be difficult as things need to be explained but it can’t be boring. Slaughter introduces Will and Angie in this first book extremely well with a complex and interesting story to go alongside.

Verdict

My verdict for this book is better than good; it is a very strong start to the series with a good introduction to the characters and robust story to go alongside. The characters are likeable and a nice change from the Grant County series characters. The story was interesting with a lot of twists and turns. The best part of the book was the going back and forth between past and present, Slaughter knows her strengths and she plays to them.

7/10 

Karin Slaughter no no Karen Rose

Have you seen her? – Karen Rose

Have you seen her? Is the second book written by Karen Rose. The story follows a widower Special Agent Steven Thatcher as he investigates a serial murderer. As far as crime books go Karen Rose is among the top writers. The story involving the investigation is strong; interesting and surprisingly hard to guess who did it. There is also the backstory of Special Agent Thatcher and his son’s teacher Jenna Marshall, this gives the book some gossip to follow making it more light hearted to read. The story about the serial killer from the past re emerging is intriguing to the reader and the whole investigation is interesting to follow. 

Special Agent Steven Thatcher is the main hero of the story. He is the lead investigator on a serial killer case which hits close to home. He has an interesting back story relating to his family with his three sons Nicky, Matt and Brad. He is an excellent investigator, the flaw in Steven thatcher’s story is how he acts. We as readers understand that after the history he had this could put some bumps in his road however, no-one wants to read about a guy making stupid mistakes.

Jenna Marshall, she is our heroine in the story. Dr Marshall is Thatcher’s eldest sons Brad, teacher. Similar to thatcher she has an interesting back story to read about alongside the turmoil she faces during the book. She helps ground Thatcher when he is in the middle of his investigation. She is a strong female character showing emotion but also strength. She is an admirable character that many females like myself can relate to.

There are strong secondary characters such as Thatcher’s aunt Helen who plays the matchmaker, Thatcher’s sons and even Dr Marshall dogs add to the story. With all of the secondary characters Rose creates a variety among the different back stories and how they relate back to his investigation.

 As it stands there are no issues with Karen Rose’s in terms of grammar or competency.

The book is written as third person looking onto the investigation. The script is broken up by date and time which makes it easy to follow the events that are happening throughout the story. This is a common aspect in Rose’s books and one that breaks up the long chapters.

Karen Rose is one of the strongest crime writers out there. In no way is the book a romance suspense book, yes there is some romance involved but the main story is about a serial killer. The book is a strong example of a good crime investigation story; it keeps your interest and is well written.

7/10

This book is a strong story with strong characters and anyone who likes a good crime story should definitely buy!