While the man behind the characters has his fair share of critics due in part to his public legal battles with Amber Heard, most of us are able to celebrate Johnny Depp for his tenacity in front of the camera. Depp has proven time and time again to being something of a chameleon actor, losing himself into every role, with each performance being all the more unrecognizable from the last.
He's a special kind of acting talent and more often than not, his performance turns a script into an instant classic. Many of those classics have high ratings on IMDB, but which of them stands out as the best of the best on that site?
10 Dead Man - 7.6
This is a much more quiet and composed performance than what we are used to seeing from Johnny Depp. Rather than play up a loud and erratic strangeness, he is something of a straight man surrounded by strange characters in Dead Man. It's something of a nice change of pace for him and overall, one of the more underrated pictures from his filmography.
For those who haven't seen it, this monochrome coated masterpiece follows Depp as William Blake - no relation to the poet - as he's on the run for murder while he inches closer to the spiritual world with a Native American named Nobody. Plus, Iggy Pop is in this. Who doesn't love Iggy Pop?
9 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - 7.6
Johnny Depp formed a sincere friendship with author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson, right up until the writer's 2005 death. The two were friends prior to Depp being chosen to play him in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but the film only strengthened their relationship as Depp lived with Thompson while filming, hoping it would help him emulate Thompson's mannerisms.
Much like Thompson's own drug-addled past, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a trippy ride that perfectly encapsulates the writer's acid-induced days in the desert.
8 Blow - 7.6
It is not every day that you see Johnny Depp play a criminal gangster, but the few times he does for the sake of biopics like this, it makes for a compelling watch. Blow is no different as it focuses on the rise and fall of cocaine smuggler, George Jung.
Depp leads a star-studded cast that includes Penélope Cruz, Ray Liotta, Jaime King, and a young Emma Roberts back when she was only 10 years old in one of her very, very first movie roles.
7 Finding Neverland - 7.7
Finding Neverland is a much more wholesome picture than we usually see Johnny Depp star in. Rather than an eccentric character who bounces off of the walls every chance he gets, he plays mild-mannered playwright J.M. Barie as the film focuses on the friendship he builds with a family - helmed by Kate Winslet - who inspires him to create the character known as Peter Pan.
This is definitely a rollercoaster of emotion, so be prepared with a box of tissues by your side while watching. You'll bawl your eyes out.
6 Donnie Brasco - 7.7
In another crime epic, Johnny Depp plays the title character of Donnie Brasco. Or at least, that's the title that his character assumes. His real name was Joseph D. Pistone and as an undercover cop, he assumes the identity of jewel thief Donnie Brasco as he tries to infiltrate the mob by working for an aging gangster named Lefty, played by Al Pacino.
It was one of the first Hollywood roles that Depp had which proved to audiences that he was capable of doing more than just weird movies like Edward Scissorhands. His hands wielded real acting talent.
5 Ed Wood - 7.8
Ed Wood has always been vilified and mocked for making unintentionally laughable cult classics like Plan 9 from Outer Space and Bride of the Monster. For his entire career and even after his death, the director's movies were the butt of several jokes, but Tim Burton felt like there was a dear sympathy in Wood as a character that was worth addressing.
Johnny Depp brought that sympathy to life in a performance that's both hilarious and surprisingly heartwrenching. Depp makes Wood so likable that despite knowing Wood's destined for the "worst director ever" billing, you just want to see him get a pat on the back for his work.
4 What's Eating Gilbert Grape - 7.8
Whenever we talk about What's Eating Gilbert Grape, it is usually to praise a young Leonardo DiCaprio in his breakout role, but Depp deserves an equal amount of praise as his older brother.
Playing a straight-laced character meant that he gave a less showy performance, and as a result, he gets a little overshadowed by the then-newcomer DiCaprio. However, the subtle nuances he brings to the character adds a refreshing bit of heart to the film that emotionally resonates with viewers. It makes for a powerful movie.
3 Edward Scissorhands - 7.9
As a film, Edward Scissorhands features all of the essential weird and wackiness that one should expect from a Tim Burton movie, but this one is made all the more memorable and special thanks solely to Johnny Depp's performance.
As a mostly mute and socially awkward creature, Depp plays Edward with a tragedy in his eyes that is hard to not sympathize with. This movie set the stage for how we'd go on to view both Burton and Depp's careers and, in many ways, this feels like the most iconic role of Depp's career.
2 Pirates of the Caribbean - 8
Remember when we said his performance as Edward Scissorhands was the most iconic role of his career? Yeah, on second thought, anyone who has seen him play Captain Jack Sparrow may disagree with that assertion.
Depp's first go at the character saw him offer seemingly limitless charisma to the role in a way that earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Everyone loved it so much that Depp was allowed to reprise the role not once, not twice, but for an additional four sequels.
1 Platoon - 8.1
It's odd to think that Johnny Depp's highest-ranked film is a film that he's hardly even in, but alas, here we are. The funny thing is that his role as war translator Lerner was originally much larger, but according to The Guardian, many of his scenes were cut in post-production.
Nonetheless, as one of the earliest roles in his career, being a bit player in a star-studded cast for a movie that ended up winning Best Picture still helped open doors for the young Depp. Platoon continues to be hailed as one of the greatest war movies ever and is currently - as of this writing - the 215th highest ranked movie on IMDB overall.