Johnny Depth

One thing's for certain: our boy has sure come a long way since Edward Scissorhands, even though he still continues to choose roles that allow him to delve into characters who are deeply conflicted and flawed in marvelous ways. In The Libertine, he turns in yet another supremely committed performance, where he magnificently portrays a character so morally corrupt that he's literally rotting from the inside.

The Libertine should have been hailed as a triumph, for Depp in particular and also for Samantha Morton, whose performance is equally electrifying. Unfortunately, this film was mostly panned by the critics, who found it too depressing and underdeveloped. I do agree with the underdeveloped criticism - the film did seem to go from the seducing part to the rotting part with very little transition - but I didn't find it depressing. The witty archness of the dialog kept it working for me throughout, and I thought it was very inspiring the way Morton's character, the actress Elizabeth Barry, proved to be a true artist who was not going to allow her acting career to take second place to anything or anybody, especially Depp's character, who wanted to possess her, body and soul (since he didn't know where to locate his own). She, in fact, has the best line in the film, towards the end, where she tells him, in his horribly disfigured state, "I will not sacrifice my certain glory for your unreliable love," or words to that effect.

The film begins with Depp's character talking into the camera, warning the audience what a prick (literally and figuratively) and equal opportunity defiler he is, and it ends with him talking again to the audience directly. This device could have failed miserably, if the actor didn't possess the charisma, self-confidence, and most importantly, the sheer audacity to make this work. But it works here, major big time, because Mr. Depp is most assuredly "up for it."