After a string of misfires, Johnny Depp is back in the groove with this genuinely scary portrayal of legendary Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger. There’s still more to the actor than Wonka, Sparrow, and Tonto.

In 1975, FBI hotshot John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) had the bright idea of forming an unholy alliance with fellow Southie Bulger to help rid the city of the Italian mafia in return for a degree of immunity. It worked, but then they had this dead-eyed, psychopath rattlesnake to deal with.

Not on a level with The Departed or GoodFellas, but nonetheless a solid gangster procedural. Japanese title: Black Scandal. (122 min)