“Dead Man” (1995)
Coming off a string of 90s movies that all saw him, to one degree or another, indulge in his talent for the whimsical and/or the off-kilter, Depp consolidated his reputation as one of the more interesting actors around by taking the lead role in wilfully off-kilter auteur Jim Jarmusch’s “Dead Man.” In it, he plays William Blake (names and namesakes form just one of the film’s themes) a meek accountant from Cleveland who heads out west, gets a chest full of “white man’s metal,” is pursued by desperadoes and falls in with a Native American called Nobody. Representing a high point in both men’s careers, the film, most regularly described as a ‘spiritual Western,’ starts out as an impressionistic evocation of a post-railway, but still wild, West. But it quickly evolves into something odder and more hallucinatory, and since Depp is really the throughline, it’s up to him to keep us compelled throughout the episodic narrative with its frequent, theatrical fades, and to drop enough breadcrumbs so that we never lose the trail. This he achieves mostly by significantly underplaying the majority of his role, so that even the tiniest moment, a hesitant smile or a gasp of surprise echoes through the landscape of his character’s psychology, just as gunshots shatter the peacefulness of those forest trails. It is also a generous decision, as it allows the (frankly, OMFG amazing) supporting cast to go all-out in contrast, often letting them imbue roles that are no more than cameos with stylized quirks and moments of broad, ludicrous comedy. And let’s not forget it’s a fabulously pretty film, and Depp’s face has to take as much of the credit for that as the scenery or the detailing or the meticulous black-and-white photography (in fact, the overhead shot of Depp as Blake cradling the dead fawn is one of this writer’s absolutely favorite images from a film ever). The film was divisive on release, with some viewers seeing it as an overreaching exercise in pretension and others regarding it as one of the very best films of the period. A recent rewatch has us salivating for our inevitable Jarmusch retrospective so that we can properly offer up all our reasons for being in the latter camp. But for now, suffice to say that while he’s playing a character who progresses from dim to dying to dead, this is still one of the most satisfying character arcs of the actor’s career, and interpreting it as a man finding his way even as he’s losing his life, Depp sells it completely.
“Donnie Brasco” (1997)
For all the freaks and weirdos that Depp has played over the years, from “Edward Scissorhands” to Barnabas Collins, it can be deeply refreshing to see him play an ordinary human being. And he’s perhaps never done that better than in 1997’s “Donnie Brasco,” in which Depp returned to the undercover law-enforcement roots of his TV breakout “21 Jump Street.” Penned by “Quiz Show” writer Paul Attanasio, and directed by Mike Newell, in an unlikely follow-up to “Four Weddings And A Funeral,” Depp plays the title character, who’s brought into the NYC mob by Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a troubled, low-level hitman, after befriending him. Except Donnie Brasco is actually Joseph D. Pistone, an FBI agent charged with infiltrating the family, and as soon as he’s found out, both he and Lefty will get bullets in the head. The film occasionally dips into undercover cop cliches, but for the most part it’s admirably truthful and low-key, and the central performances are a marvel. It’s arguably Pacino’s last great turn, and complimented beautifully by Depp; he’s got real tough guy swagger as Brasco, cheekboned like a young Christopher Walken, and simultaneously excited by his new profession of violence, and horrified at what he’s becoming. And there’s legitimate anguish when he’s ‘out of character’ as it were, as Pistone frets about the fate of Lefty. What’s most impressive of all is the extent to which Depp underplays the part (it’s the forerunner of his best recent performance, as John Dillinger in “Public Enemies,” although this one’s the keeper). It’s a reminder of the depth of his skills, and one that we perhaps wish Depp himself would take another look at these days.
The Essentials: The 5 Best Johnny Depp Performances
