Throughout the 1990s, Johnny Depp was often regarded as one of Hollywood’s most charismatic and underrated young talents. In fact, some of his best roles remain among his most frequently unacknowledged ones (don’t believe us?). That all changed thanks to a bizarre new character named Jack Sparrow. However, the quirky, beloved lead of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has proven to be a double-edged sword for Depp. While his celebrity has soared to new heights in the last 12 years, Depp’s box office success has been far too inconsistent in recent years, with even fewer of his performances winning over critics. Long before its release, buzz circulated that Black Mass could be the film to put the actor back on top. Well, is it?

Depp plays notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in the new film from director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace). Rather than taking on the totality of Bulger’s life, Black Mass hones in on his time working as an FBI informant under Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) and the repercussions that both men suffered from that doomed relationship.

First off, the film features the best Depp performance since he prowled the corners of Fleet Street in the Oscar-nominated title role of Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in 2007. At first glance, the actor looks a bit ridiculous behind the prosthetics and contact lenses necessary to disappear into Bulger, but he brings a quite menace and a foreboding sense that the crime boss is a caged animal capable of breaking loose at a moment’s notice. Because the film hinges so much on him, Depp’s performance has to capture the mythic quality of Bulger and his reign. Without this critical element, Black Mass doesn’t work at all. Luckily, Depp slips effortlessly into the role of Bulger, sparsely slipping into his signature over-the-top theatrics to sell the character.

Likewise, Edgerton — who essentially serves as a co-lead — matches Depp moment for moment, even eclipsing him on occasion along the way. Connolly, a childhood friend of Bulger and his U.S. senator brother (Benedict Cumberbatch), is saddled with the unenviable task of playing referee between the government and Bulger, and Edgerton brings the character’s slippery indecisiveness to life as he plays jump-rope with his duty and his sense of loyalty to his old friend. This year is proving to be a breakout one for Edgerton, who delivers his second standout performance this year following the chilling The Gift. Undoubtedly, Depp may receive some awards love for his role, and Edgerton deserves to receive similar attention for his work here.

Though the two actors admirably carry the film, Black Mass ultimately fails in its attempt to draw viewers into the conflict that Bulger and Connolly are facing both between themselves and elsewhere. Rather, it never allows you completely into either man’s head and particularly keeps Bulger’s mindset and motivation a mystery throughout. There’s something to be said for that technique, but Cooper shows a genuine interest in Bulger’s home life during the film, leading the audience behind the curtain for a moment before swiping it back like the entry to first-class seating on a commercial airliner. For much of the film, Cooper seems content to portray the Boston gangster as simply an intimidating and troubled figure without much depth or development to speak of.

Moreover, Black Mass allows supporting actors like Dakota Johnson, Peter Saarsagard and Kevin Bacon to weave in and out, almost as if the film is a dramatized clip show of key moments in Bulger’s life and times rather than any kind of focused chronicle of his rise to power — which, by the way, largely takes place off-screen — or the counterpoint between his personal and professional lives. Only Cumberbatch has any lingering role to play in keeping the story unified and focused on these three south Boston boys who ended up in totally different places in life.

As far as its scope, Black Mass is by far Cooper’s most ambitious film yet, but one of the trickiest aspects in developing films around real-life individuals can be breaking down an entire life to just a couple hours of story. In the end, Black Mass falls prey to the most sacred of filmmaking faux pas by telling its audience what’s happening more than showing it. Still, there’s a handful of dynamite dramatic moments in the film in which both Depp and Edgerton really get to chew the scenery create a sense of a character. Unfortunately, though, that’s pretty much all most viewers will likely get out of Black Mass, a vague sense of Bulger’s significance and the events that led to his downfall.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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