Top Ten Johnny Depp Performances
24th October 2009
By Joe Boden

Johnny Depp will be disappearing down the rabbit hole twice in the very near future. One of these times will be more literally, in Tim Burton’s version of “Alice and Wonderland”, whilst the other will be slightly less so in Terry Gilliam’s “the Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus”. Also on the horizon is the fourth entry to the disappointingly downward-sliding “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, providing he sorts out his contract, and these three films are a perfect example of what Johnny Depp is all about. Take the Pirates films, where Depp is about the only thing that you’re allowed to like, and contrast them with some of the directors that he’s prone to working with, and what you get is a good idea of an actor who will take on both intelligent, thoughtful characters and money-making pantomimic ones and make them worth while.

And so, for this reason (as well as wanting to finish off the holy trinity of 21st century Hollywood actors after my lists on Christian Bale and Brad Pitt), I’ve decided to do a list of my favourite top ten Johnny Depp films, which was surprisingly harder to put together than I thought it would be.

10. As Captain Jack Sparrow in Gore Verbinski’s “the Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl”

It’s quite easy to dismiss the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films as Hollywood summer tosh, particularly the two sequels. I’m guilty of it myself, and for the most part I find them convoluted and unengaging, but the first one is no doubt the best, and features a fine performance from Depp. His Captain Jack Sparrow is no doubt a great pantomimic creation, and even though the MTV Best Actor Awards bestowed on him add no credibility whatsoever, he’s just about the only thing I like in “At World’s End” and “Dead Man’s Chest”, and is certainly a highlight of the watchable original.

09. As Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd”
Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd”, despite the odd Oscar/Golden Globe/BAFTA nomination here or there, fell flat on itself. It was tonally off, self-important, and missed the boisterous fun of the original source material. Johnny Depp’s performance, though, is the saving grace, both moody and light, never straying into the self-importance that the rest of the film revelled in, and always remaining an enjoyable presence. Depp may be outperformed by the touch of class that is Alan Rickman, but he’s still one of the only reasons to watch “Sweeney Todd”.

08. As Rochester in Laurence Dunmore's “the Libertine”
“The Libertine” isn’t a great film by any means, but it’s still very watchable. It gets the tone just about spot on, and for the most part remains a moody and atmospheric experience that is hard to come by in modern American film. Depp’s performance is also possibly the best thing about the film, beginning with a fantastically delivered monologue (“I don’t want you to like me”) that breaks the fourth wall, Depp’s quality never really lets up. He has undoubted charisma, and even in an utterly contemptible performance, I found myself firmly on his side.

07. As George Jung in Ted Demme’s “Blow”
“Blow” may be a cluttered Goodfellas rip off, but Depp’s performance is nothing short of epic. Spanning decades of life as a cocaine addict/dealer, the film flits between Depp’s business, his friendships, and his inability to shake off the ghost of his deceased first love, played by Franka Potente. Depp lends the film a real heavyweight presence, and although the cluttered and sprawling plot isn’t focused enough to turn it into a truly great performance, it certainly showcases his talent as a performer of the highest level.

06. As Donnie Brasco in Mike Newell's “Donnie Brasco”
“Donnie Brasco” could almost act as a “passing-of-the-torch” film, where one of the top 5 of the last generation of American actors passes the baton (conflicting metaphors, I know) on to one of the top 5 actors of this generation. Here, Depp plays the titular Donnie, a police moll who goes undercover and finds a place under the wing of Al Pacino’s mobster. The film itself doesn’t quite live up to the level that its two banner name stars would suggest it might, but the performances more than make up for it. Pacino is great as the melancholic and reflective aging villain, and Depp perfectly captures the kind of paranoia that Leonardo di Caprio wildly flails for in “the Departed”.

05. As Isembard Crane in Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow”
Perhaps one of Tim Burton’s five best films (and he’s only made five good ones, so that’s not saying much), “Sleepy Hollow” is a moody and atmospheric picture about a “modern” police investigator who finds himself in the middle of a multiple murder case. Backed up ably by the likes of Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken, and Michael Gambon, Depp is brilliant as the spluttering, stuttering hero who can never seem to keep it together long enough to make any headway into the case. The film may also be the best actual representation of the vision that Burton has been threatening to re-create, after the huge dip in quality that followed “Beatle Juice!”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Ed Wood”, and the two Batman films.

04. As Gilbert Grape in Lasse Hallestrom’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”
“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” is possibly the least Johnny Depp-esque performance on the list. Depp is famous for playing exuberant, unreasonable, and pantomimic characters, but here, in Lasse Hallestrom’s film that also stars Juliette Lewis and Leonardo di Caprio, he plays a normal guy. The alliteratively named Gilbert is stuck in life, not able to pursue a possible romantic relationship because of the presence of his family. Perfectly playing a man who needs to – but just can’t – spread his wings and fly the nest, Depp has never been more assured, and although it was Di Caprio who got the plaudits come Oscar season, it was Depp who really shone.

03. As Edward Scissorhands in Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands”
“Edward Scissorhands” is possibly the film that Johnny Depp is best known for, and that says a lot considering he is one of the most instantly recognizable men on the planet. Showcasing insecurity and naivety rather than the usual world-knowledge and boisterousness that you’d expect to find in a Johnny Depp performance, his turn as the titular scissor-handed protagonist is a gem of physical acting, utilizing his gangly and un-worldly form to expose suburbia as the rude and unfriendly shambles that it actually is.

02. As Raoul Duke in Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”
Johnny Depp returned to work with Terry Gilliam earlier this month for “the Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus”, and – had I not already finalized this list before I went to see the Gilliam film – it would have probably found a place amongst this top ten, despite only being about five minutes long. It actually surprised me just how different it was to Depp’s turn in “Fear and Loathing”, which saw Depp’s reporter find himself trapped and confused in a drug-fuelled haze. It’s probably one of Gilliam’s best films, and is one of Depp’s funniest performances. He’s matched blow for blow by the mere presence of Benicio del Toro, and the two performances are the main reason for the film’s commercial and critical success.

01. As Ed Wood in Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood”
It seems like a cop-out for me to pick “Ed Wood” as my favourite Tim Burton. It’s kind of similar to what Tarantino said about “Jackie Brown” for being an easy option for a critic’s favourite of his films, in that it’s a much more adult and obscure title than some of the more obvious commercial darlings. But what can I say, expect for that I genuinely think “Ed Wood” is a fantastic film, and Johnny Depp’s performance is the principal reason for that. Showcasing both insecurity and naivety like in “Edward Scissorhands” – but not quite to such a level of vegetation – the film is a brilliant display of the creative process, and of the exuberance and belief in his god-given talent that drove Ed Wood – who was officially voted as the worst director to ever live – to continue to make movies. That Wood actually thought he was on the brink of making the next “Citizen Kane” is truly magnificent to watch, and I couldn’t help but slowly find myself siding with Wood – a director of immeasurable inability – as the film went on.