Johnny Depp's filmography is almost as impressive as his acting ability. From his debut in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' as Glen (the kid who gets eaten by the bed) to his most recent performance as the Mad Hatter in 'Alice in Wonderland', Johnny Depp never fails to throw himself completely into his roles and fully grab the viewers attention.
In my opinion Johnny Depp is arguably the only modern day actor who can stand beside the greats of yester-year. With a cinematic history which includes the likes of Cary Grant, James Stewart, Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart this is indeed a compliment of the highest order. His body of work is diverse but at times alarmingly similar.
From 21 Jump Street to Alice in Wonderland there are certain traits which make him a great actor but also a somewhat unique one. For example, he uses the Steve McQueen trick of being active in a shot, even if he is not the focus of it: he will blow his nose; play with a toy helicopter or just look bewildered, all of which helps draw the viewers attention to him in a subtle way. He showed this side early on, even in the 80s TV show 21 Jump Street. His character Tom Hanson embodies slight elements of Jack Sparrow, Sweeney Todd and Willy Wonka with his many gestures, sometimes wacky dress sense and immaculate phrasing. Hanson himself 'becomes' different characters within the show since he is an undercover cop working in high schools to bust teen drug dealers, prostitutes and sometimes even murderers.
Therefore, in my opinion Depp's best characters are:
1.)Officer Tom Hanson (from '21 Jump Street')
Hanson is a bowling geek who became a cop to be like his father who was killed in the line of duty. Hanson progresses from a nerd to a 'cool guy' in the five years the TV show ran for but never loses that 'fresh out of the academy' look. Highlights include his being sent to prison for murdering a fellow cop, being kidnapped by the first guy he busted and the famous "another slammarino for The King Pins" quote when he gets a strike at the bowling alley.
2.)Tommy McQuaid ('21 Jump Street')
One half of the McQuaid brothers (along with Peter DeLuise as Doug McQuaid) seen several times during the lifespan of 21 Jump Street, the McQuaids go undercover in high schools to bust drug dealers, wear stupid clothes and talk in unison. The denim and leather jacket combo and the white bandana are adorable. Classic comedy at it's best!
3.)Icabod Crane ('Sleepy Hollow')
A bumbling fool who manages to solve the mystery of the headless horseman in Sleepy Hollow. This performance shows that Depp does not take himself too seriously and that he is not a typical Hollywood star who goes in blows all the bad guys away and is never scared for a moment. Far from it.
4.)Captain Jack Sparrow ('Pirates of the Caribbean' trilogy)
No Depp Top 10 would be complete without including Captain Jack Sparrow, a modern icon of the silver screen and right up there with Rhett Butler, Holly Golightly and Rick from Casablanca for immediate identification with the beaded beard and camp gestures. Quite rightly he was also nominated for an Oscar for this role in the first installment of the Pirates trilogy, 'The Curse of the Black Pearl'.
5.)Sam ('Benny and Joon')
The comedian in Depp's nature comes out in the wacky but touching 'Benny and Joon' where he plays Sam, a Buster Keaton wannabee who hides in trees, does tricks in the park and falls for a mentally challenged artist who he is hired to look after.
6)Edward Scissorhands ('Edward Scissorhands')
Depp plays the protagonist of Edward Scissorhands in a serene, understated and sensitive way. The audience takes to him straight away, despite his alarming outer persona. Touching moments include Edward trying to adjust to the 'real world' by dressing in proper clothes, eating at a table with cutlery and sleeping on a water bed.
7.)Inspector Abberline ('From Hell')
My favorite modern movie is 'From Hell' and the way Depp plays Inspector Abberline, the police officer in charge of investigating the Jack the Ripper murders, adds to the overall appeal of this movie. He also has great rapport with fellow co-star Robbie Coltrane. The film is very dark (as would be expected from the subject matter) but the mise-en-scene is breath taking and the ending is a big shock.
8.)J.M. Barrie ('Finding Neverland')
Depp has always been a fan of tying out different accents and the one which works best for him is when he becomes the Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie, who penned Peter Pan, in the moving 'Finding Neverland' opposite Kate Winslet. This role allowed him to return to his childhood and with the clean cut hairdo and smart clothes you would be forgiven for thinking he was far younger than his 40-odd years.
9.)William Blake ('Dead Man')
Dead Man is a modern film shot in black and white, featuring Robert Mitchum and includes an understated performance from Depp as William Blake, who gets shot at the beginning of the film and spends the rest of the film on a journey to his ultimate death. There are many parallels between Depp's performance here and that of James Mason (with an Irish accent) in the classic film Odd Man Out. Both are also a credit to the world of cinema and icons of their generation. An unusual film and a brave decision for Depp to take on this role, but it really works and the result is a very entertaining (if somewhat dark) movie.
10.)Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street')
As the title character of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street he again works with auteur Tim Burton to create a modern-day masterpiece. Even though he slits his way though a good number of throats in the film, singing in a Cockney accent as he goes, we still manage to feel sorry for him and hope he gets his revenge on Judge Turpin, who has destroyed his life. The moto of Sweeney Todd is 'never forgive, never forget' and we won't forget Depp's superb performance in a while. Especially since another modern day icon was born out of this film: Todd with the knife in the air, white streak in his hair and revenge on his mind. Sheer genius.
It's tough to identify Depp's top ten performances when he also starred in the likes of Ed Wood, Blow, Public Enemies, The Astronaut's Wife, Secret Window, Cry Baby, Don Juan DeMarco, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Donnie Brasco. Expect more great things in the future from this guy, he is the real deal.