Black Mass, Depp, hailed at Venice Fest

(ANSA) - Venice, September 4 - The first press screening of the out-of-competition film Black Mass by Scott Cooper starring Johnny Depp was warmly applauded Friday at the Venice Film Festival.
    Depp gives an extraordinary performance including a physical transformation as the most notorious Boston gangster Jimmy 'Whitey' Bulger, who was sentenced to two life terms and still is in prison at the age of 86.
    The film recounts in a gripping way the criminal activities of the Irish origin mobster who had a Senator brother (Benedict Cumberbatch) from the alleys of Southie, the southern part of Boston, and above all the links with an FBI agent for whom he became an informer.
    Depp arrived in the lagoon city at 3 a.m. to the delight of fans who slept in sleeping bags lined up outside the Palace of Cinema so as not to miss his appearance.
    Friday was Depp's day and was due to climax with a red-carpet welcome and a party as well as a rumoured dinner at Harry's Bar.