Johnny Depp's transformation into convicted mobster Whitey Bulger is getting rave reviews not only for the actor's distinctive look but for his steely intensity in the two-minute clip released this week.
"Black Mass," which is slated to hit theaters Sept. 18, tells how Bolger became the crime kingpin of Boston in the 1970s with the help of the FBI as he informed on his rival Patriarca crime family,
according to Deadline.com. When his relationship with law enforcement turned sour, Bulger, with the help of his FBI handler, went into hiding until he was found in California in 2011.
Depp's portrayal seems to be near perfect in the clip of the charming, yet brutal gangster.
"A lot of people on set knew Whitey intimately. They got chills at the resemblance," "Black Mass" director Scott Cooper told
Entertainment Weekly. "Some of them couldn't even look at him. … It's easy to be the mustache twirling villain but this performance couldn't be further from that. (Depp) is truly gifted."
Cooper said he and Depp spent hours going over old surveillance tapes and FBI photographs of Bulger to get the mobster's persona down pat before filming began.
"Johnny Depp is the king of character transformations, be it Willy Wonka or Captain Jack Sparrow, he is known for his talent to immerse himself into an entirely different world,"
said MTV. "With slicked back hair and a penchant for aviators, Depp's resemblance to the real Whitey is actually spot on, and we can't wait for the film's September 2015 release."
The "Black Mass" trailer and Depp's transformation received an overwhelmingly positive response on social media.
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