Cinematic highs and lows

 ‘Everest’ sends chills; ‘Black Mass’ needs forgiveness

by Willie Krishke

Going in to “Everest,” I think it’s important to remember that this is a disaster movie, based on a real disaster. A lot of people are going to die before the credits roll, and they’re not going to be second-rate, disposable characters like in a lot of fake disaster movies.

 It’s important to remember this because director Baltasar Kormakur is going to try to convince you that this is a different kind of movie. The first half is almost entirely absent of the kind of heavy foreshadowing and ominous music usually present in disaster movies. There are no brilliant scientists predicting the disaster and being ignored. Nothing of that sort. Instead, we are introduced to one likable, inspiring character after another. Jason Clarke plays the lead guide, and Keira Knightley is his pregnant wife back home. John Hawkes is the mailman who is making his second attempt at Everest, carrying a flag for the summit given to him by elementary schoolers back home. Yasuko Numba is a 47-year-old Japanese housewife who has already summited six of the world’s highest peaks. And Josh Brolin is an arrogant Texas millionaire whose wife (Robin Wright) warned him she’d divorce him if he climbed one more mountain. Guess who’s still alive at the end?

A grizzled Jake Gyllenhaal stars as fallen climber Scott Fischer in “Everest.” The film is based on events in Jon Krakauer’s bestseller Into Thin Air.

The film gracefully packs a lot of information into the first hour, not just introducing the characters, but filling us in on the culture of extreme mountaineering, the way the sport has changed in recent years, and the challenges introduced to an already-challenging expedition. What used to be the terrain of only the best professional climbers has become a sort of high-end adventure tourist draw, attracting millionaire tycoons looking for the ultimate high (literally.) It’s also become a lucrative business, which means guides like Clarke are motivated to take extra risks to get these tourists to the summit, because not getting there is bad for business. On this particular trip, that motivation is enhanced by the presence of John Krakauer (played by Michael Kelly,) who is writing a high-profile article for Outside magazine. (Krakauer has said that a lot of what happens in this movie isn’t accurate, but he has agreed that his presence on the trip caused the guides to take extra risks.)

The first half of the film is truly uplifting – there’s plenty here about the triumph of the human spirit, lots of characters to root for, and the SFX department makes Everest truly awe-inspiring.

But this is not a film about the triumph of the human spirit, this is a film about hubris and tragedy. When Kormakur drops the hammer, it falls hard. “Everest” lifts us up just to ultimately drop us a greater distance. I left the theater feeling kicked in the gut, but knowing I had seen a very well-made movie all the same.

In another story familiar to audiences, “Black Mass” is based on notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, played, of course, by Johnny Depp. The plot to “Black Mass” is familiar enough to make you wonder what the hell was going on in the FBI in the ’70s. (It’s very similar to “American Hustle,” another true story, and not all that different from “The Departed.”)

Joel Edgerton plays John Connolly, a blustery FBI informant who grew up in the same neighborhood as Bulger and feels like the two have a bond from childhood – something Bulger never seems to feel. Connolly gives Bulger a free pass in South Boston in exchange for info on the Mafia in North Boston. Bulger uses his de facto immunity to become far more powerful and dangerous than the Mafia he’s supposed to be informing on. It’s a startling case of shortsightedness combined with hubris. Connolly saw in his alliance with Bulger a golden opportunity to advance his career. Somehow he didn’t realize that Bulger would see the same opportunity for his own career.

On paper, it sounds thrilling. The raw materials are there for a great gangster flick. On screen, though, it comes up short. Director Scott Cooper falls into one of the most basic mistakes when adapting a true story – he doesn’t adapt it enough. The movie’s biggest problem is that it lacks structure. One damned thing just keeps happening after the next. There needs to be tension and buildup, climax, release, and resolution. “Black Mass” has none of those. It’s really surprising – considering this is a movie about a dangerous sociopath in a violent subculture – how few scenes felt tense or exciting. In my opinion, there was only one really good scene, and even it was ripped off from “Goodfellas.” (Now there’s a movie with structure.)

Depp’s performance as Bulger is the best I’ve seen him in a serious role since “Donnie Brasco.” He is calculating and vicious, both a family man and capable of murdering whole families. It’s a solid performance, though it’s hindered by the blue-eyed contacts he’s wearing. They look weird and his pupils never dilate. His eyes look the same in bright daylight as in a smoky barroom. It’s a neat effect if you’re playing a vampire, but, as far as I know, Bulger wasn’t a vampire.

However, Cooper invested heavily in other places. He worked hard to recreate a believably seedy South Boston in the ’80s; the mise-en-scene here compares favorably to movies like “The Departed” and “Gone Baby Gone.” The male-heavy cast seems almost excessively talented. There are exactly three women with any screen time, and only one I’d ever seen before. A better performance from Bulger’s wife – as well as a script that gives her more to do – would’ve made this a better movie.

As it is, “Black Mass” is about as good a gangster movie can be without any exciting scenes in it. It’s not a new classic, as some are calling it. I don’t think it’s even the best gangster flick this year (That would be the underrated, underseen “Five Star.”)