If one can say anything for Johnny Depp, it’s that he’s not afraid to drastically change his appearance for a role, whether that role be silly or serious. While his last few roles (The Lone Ranger, Transcendence, Into the Woods, Tusk, Mortdecai) left much to be desired, they did allow him to truly transform himself physically. His newest role looks to (hopefully) return the actor to his days of changing himself AND being in good movies.

In the new trailer for Black Mass, Depp looks truly terrifying as James J. “Whitey” Bulger, at one time Number 2 on the FBI’s most wanted list, behind Osama bin Laden. No foolin’, that’s how dangerous Whitey was/is. The Irish mob boss from Boston was the basis for Jack Nicholson’s character in The Departed, upon his arrest in 2011, he was charged with a litany of offenses, including 19 murders. So, not a nice guy, I think it’s safe to say. That case was documented in the CNN film Whitey: The United States of America vs. James J. Bulger, which I had the opportunity to review last year.

As for Depp’s performance in the movie, at least from the trailer, it looks like he’s not doing any of the mugging and has dropped most of the weird mannerisms he’s been doing for the past several years. He looks truly stoic, hardened, and merciless, just the way a mob boss ought. And as weird as it looks, those piercing blue contact lenses he’s got are perfect for the iciness of such a man, who was never concerned about people knowing he killed people, only that he wasn’t no rat. This could possibly be the movie that puts him back in the Oscar hot seat. We shall see.

Black Mass, directed by Scott Cooper, also boasts an impressive supporting cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton, Juno Temple, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard, Jesse Plemons, and Kevin Bacon (all those people now have one degree). It’s scheduled for release on September 18th.

Does Depp’s look work for you or are you still angry at him for Dark Shadows? Let us know below!