The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (12A) **
When the first film in the Hunger Games series was released three years ago, it felt like a game-changer - a well-made film with a great central character that showed respect for its young adult audience.
But the bean counters reckoned that splitting the third novel into two movies could make a fortune.
And so it is that a series that promised so much limps to a protracted conclusion.
At least there are some lively performances and a smattering of decent set-pieces to alleviate the boredom.
We get to witness the long-awaited showdown between the insurgent, rebellious Katniss Evergreen (Lawrence) and her arch-nemesis President Snow (Sutherland).
He’s the dictator who has ensured a fractured dystopian society by encouraging its young people to fight each other to the death, but there’s a sense that his reign is drawing to an end.
That’s because Katniss and her swelling army of rebels are planning to take on the regime with the help of the rebel leader Coin (Julianne Moore), who is keen to use Katniss as a figurehead for the revolutionary movement.
Joining them in their efforts are new love Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and a band of like-minded warriors.
There’s a super middle segment where the young rebels take on a series of traps and lethal pitfalls set out by their corrupt leaders as they attempt to storm The Capitol. Entertaining as they are, they’re not enough.
The film struggles with pace (it’s a good half hour too long) as a once-exciting series comes to a formulaic conclusion.
Black Mass (15A) ****
JOHNNY DEPP shows that when he's not tackling the oddest roles in Hollywood he can be a fine actor in this crime drama.
Depp is James Whitey Bulger, a criminal of Irish extraction who - over three decades - went from being a bit player to top of the FBI’s most wanted list.
He was known for breathtaking acts of violence against anyone he suspected of betraying him (many of which are depicted in the film), and became one of the most feared figures in the city.
Yet for years he escaped scott free - why? That’s the question posed by Black Mass, which thankfully stays clear of the stereotypical biopic format to address the corruption which allowed Bulger to thrive.
The movie focuses on how FBI agent John Connolly (Edgerton) - a childhood friend of Bulger’s - persuaded the criminal to collaborate with the Feds against the Italian Mafia who were gaining a foothold in the city.
It’s a shame, then, that the film falls shy of examining Bulger’s relationship with his brother, Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch) who managed to become one of the top political figures in the city despite his brother’s activities, but this is not explored in any meaningful way in the film.
Nevertheless, Black Mass works very effectively as a crime thriller.
*Black Mass opens in cinemas on Wednesday November 25th.
The Verdict: A gripping crime thriller with an on-form cast.
