Director Scott Cooper has been able to get acclaimed performances out of his stars, even helping Jeff Bridges finally win an Oscar. It turns out that he also has the skills to turn Johnny Depp convincingly into notorious Boston mobster Whitey Bulger for Black Mass.

The trailer, which was shown Wednesday at CinemaCon is structured around a dinner between Bulger (Depp) and FBI Agent John Morris (David Harbour). John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), the FBI agent who allegedly worked with Bulger, is also sitting at the table. As Bulger tells Morris how dangerous it is to just tell anyone a family secret, other screens of violence from the film flash before our eyes.

Running just two minutes, the trailer proves that Depp needed a serious, small-scale project like this to get his career back on track. He also has an incredible supporting cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch, James Russo, Kevin Bacon, Adam Scott and Corey Stoll.

Black Mass hits theaters on Sept. 18. It is only Cooper’s third film, following Crazy Heart with Bridges and Out of the Furnace with Christian Bale.

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screenshot from CBR Trailers YouTube video