Johnny Depp has become an extremely prolific actor over the past half dozen years. With a variety of film credits, major star power, and enough talent to win millions of fans, Depp seems to always be working on something. However, for people who are looking for some of his best movies, there are certain must-sees.
One of the greatest movies that Johnny Depp has ever acted in was “Secret Window”. Based off a short story by Stephen King, Depp plays a writer who is being stalked by a crazed fan, and who is losing his mind during a messy divorce with his wife. Without giving away the twist ending, Depp did something that most fans of King wouldn’t have believed possible… he accurately portrayed the spiraling insanity that was written into the story. From having inner monologues with himself (as a second character on screen) to seamlessly switching roles in the film, Depp showed marvelous acting talent in “Secret Window”.
Another of Depp’s greatest movies was his musical performance in “Sweeney Todd”. The film, which was directed by Tim Burton, was a movie version of the play about the famous, fictional Fleet Street serial killer who lived near the Bailey in London. The story deals with Todd being exiled by a judge who desired Todd’s wife, and when he makes his way back to England he finds his wife missing and his grown daughter the ward of the wicked judge. Finally losing his mind entirely, Todd throws in with Mrs. Lovett, who owns a bakery. As their bizarre love story evolves, Sweeney starts slashing his way to the judge, and his much needed revenge. Depp turns out to have a great singing voice, and he portrays both the fearsome and the tragic aspects of Todd amazingly, leaving the audience completely enthralled to the plight of a man pushed to the brink and diving head first over the edge.
Perhaps one of the lesser known of Depp’s great performances was in the movie “The Ninth Gate”. In this film Depp plays a dealer in rare books. He’s given the job of verifying the authenticity of the Nine Gates, a book supposedly co-written by Satan himself. Along the way, the mercenary literature locater ends up getting embroiled in something dangerous, and more accurately, evil. Depp’s performance as the snarky, uncaring rare book expert combines one part private detective with one part art snob to create an amusing and compelling whole as he follows a supernatural path to nowhere.
There are of course other films that Depp has appeared in that people would argue deserve merit. His debut in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” created one of the first, genuine slasher series. Depp’s performance in “Edward Scissor Hands” showed that he could be quirky and sad, and it brought his acting to a whole new level. Others will point out the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy (which may become more) as an example of Depp’s great, comedic skill. It’s all a matter of opinion, but the only way to be sure is to see all of them.
