Johnny Depp turns up in this 2000 film from director Julian Schnabel in two small, but pivotal roles. Before Night Falls examines the life and death of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas in a series of vignettes from his life. Javier Bardem plays Arenas with the great emotion, conveying not only Reinaldo’s sexual…
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
In this Tim Burton adaptation of Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow, Depp is cast as Ichabod Crane. Instead of portraying Crane as the jittery schoolmaster, Burton recasts him as a New York City constable bent on applying forensic science and “modern” investigative techniques to everyday cases. Crane’s fastidious investigations and doing things by the book puts…
The Astronaut’s Wife (1999)
One of three Johnny Depp movies released in 1999, The Astronaut’s Wife is definitely the weakest of the three and had me questioning my resolve to watch ALL the films Johnny Depp’s appeared in during his career. The Astronaut’s Wife features Depp as Spencer Armacost the astronaut while Charlize Theron plays…
The Ninth Gate (1999)
In 1999, Johnny Depp teamed up with director Roman Polanski to star in The Ninth Gate, a supernatural thriller that was loosely based on the 1993 novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte called The Club Dumas. Depp stars as Dean Corso, a rare book dealer who is hired to locate and authenticate…
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
In Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) Depp takes on iconic gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and his drug-fuelled road trip to 1970s Las Vegas with his friend and attorney Dr. Gonzo (aka Oscar Zeta Acosta) . What initially started as photo assignment for Sports Illustrated, to write captions for the…
The Brave (1997)
Johnny Depp’s directorial debut The Brave (1997) tells the story of Raphael (Depp), a young Native American father who, out of desperation, makes a pact with a sadistic McCarthy (Marlon Barndo) to be tortured and killed in exchange for $50,000. The film premiered at Cannes in 1997 to standing ovations , yet devastatingly bad reviews…
Toronto the Good
I grew up in a Northern Ontario town that felt smaller than its population of 75,000 would have you believe. The fact that Toronto was a 7+ hours car ride in one direction and Thunder Bay 7+ hours in the other direction IN GOOD WEATHER made it feel more isolated…
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Donnie Brasco features Johnny Depp as the title character, an undercover FBI agent infiltrating the New York Mafia in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Based on a true story of undercover agent Joseph D. Pistone the movie follows his gradual acceptance into the Mafia family and his close relationship…
The Lone Ranger (2013)
As much as I like Johnny Depp as an actor and what he brings to a role, you have to wonder what he and Disney were thinking when they decided to take on as dated a franchise as The Lone Ranger. As far as I can tell there hasn’t been a…
Nick of Time (1995)
[Warning: May Contain Spoilers] Johnny Depp stars in this 1995 thriller directed by John Badham (Saturday Night Live, WarGames, Short Circuit). Depp plays Gene Watson, a public accountant and father to six year old Lynn (Courtney Chase) who is travelling with him to Los Angeles on unspecified business when the…