What do you think are the best Johnny Depp performances?
 

Another actor who due to recent difficulties deserves some love.

Donnie Brasco - Depp's range of emotions and complex examination of the light versus darkness inside Donnie makes him stack up perfectly alongside Al Pacino's equally excellent performance as Lefty.

From Hell - A really well-crafted, understated portrayal of a man who's forced to witness some real horrors in his life and is trying to find some way to lead himself through the hell. His energy is very calm and down-to-earth, which actually draws you into the intrigue of his character even more.

Secret Window - Not just overlooked in terms of his roles, but underrated as a movie too. I actually don't mind the twist at all and only think it makes it better. I don't want to spoil too much, but although I can't say whether this is my favorite role of his or not (Definitely high up there though) he does such a phenomenal job drawing you and dominates every scene with a graceful sublety. Deserved a lot more attention than he got.

Pirates Of The Carribean - But of course. How can a list like this be complete without mentioning Jack Sparrow? This character has been a large defining part of his life, and for good reason. He delivers his lines with a whimsical gusto and makes every moment of him onscreen fun and exciting to watch. The series has its flaws (Why does Elizabeth turn so mean after the first movie?), but Depp's charm and charisma alone makes them all worth viewing... except for Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Ed Wood - He didn't merely play Ed Wood. He became Ed Wood. It's one of those biographical depictions where you can't believe you're only watching an actor. He looks like Ed, he sounds like Ed, he feels like Ed. I feel like I understand so much about how he was as a person and even respect him thanks to the dedication Depp went through to make him real.

Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas - Like the movie itself, his acting is highly eccentric and bizarre, but for great measure as you're entertained every step of the way when he starts going off on his crazy ramblings while scrambling every corner of the earth for the best drugs he can find.

Edward Scissorhands - The first of his Tim Burton collaborations, and what a start it is. Depp creates a character who's at times humorous, other times heartbreaking, always effortlessly charming and likable.

The Astronaut's Wife - Odd choice? Well, hear me out. I'm not saying this is a great movie by any means. There are scenes that are cheesy in the best/worst way possible, the plot starts off interesting and kind of cool, then makes less and less sense the more you watch and at the end you have no idea what the **** you just saw. However, Johnny's acting here is brilliant. He intimidates you so much with his dead-eyed stares and the uncertain, quietly psychotic way he behaves around Charlize Theron's character. Truly scary. He elevates what otherwise would've been a forgotten 90's thriller to something that's entertaining in its own quirky way thanks to his powerful screen presence. Being a great actor is not just about doing the best with a solid script, it's also about finding something special in a role that otherwise might not be that easy to make convincing.


Please keep comments about the case out of the thread or at least to a minimum.

I really like his performance as Whitey Bulger in Black Mass. He really makes him out to be one evil dude for how scary and vile he makes him. You can imagine him spitting black bile instead of saliva. His costume and makeup, especially the blue eyes, is distracting at first, but you can't really blame him for that, especially since his acting makes you forget about it as the movie goes on.

My favorite is John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, in The Libertine.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walt.../libertine.gif

Re: What do you think are the best Johnny Depp performances?
 

"Ed Wood" for the win. Second would be "What's Eating Gilbert Grape".

I loved Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, Blow and The Professor, but he has never moved me the way he did in Edward Scissorhands...he pretty much has me fighting tears throughout the movie, no matter how many times I watch it.

Re: What do you think are the best Johnny Depp performances?
 

I can now add Richard Says Goodbye to the mix. Really loved him in this. He balances the sarcastically witty and emotionally difficult moments perfectly.

Thank you for reminding me about Donnie Brasco and Secret Window...terrific performances, and his work in Secret Window is severely underrated.

Re: What do you think are the best Johnny Depp performances?
 

In the Donnie Brasco movie his role as an FBI agent was too good!

Re: What do you think are the best Johnny Depp performances?
 

My top 5 fave:


1. Jack Sparrow (just lumping the whole Pirates franchise together for this one)


2. Ed Wood


3. Sweeney Todd


4. Edward Scissorhands


5. John Dillinger (Public Enemies)

I'm not sure Depp has a good performance at all but Jack Sparrow is definitely the role of his life. He is pretty good and memorable there.

He was also OK in:

What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Ninth Gate
Secret Window

That's all worth mentioning, I think.

Re: What do you think are the best Johnny Depp performances?
 

Guess I get to be the first person to mention Dead Man. An appreciably subdued performance next to most of the other contenders.

I did read that Margot Robbie might be the star of a new Pirates franchise.

Re: What do you think are the best Johnny Depp performances?
 

Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands are easily his two best.



And, even though it isn't a particularly great movie, his turn as Hunter S Thompson (along with Del Toro in support) make the best of an otherwise fairly boring and literal interpretation of the novel by Gilliam