Last Updated on September 6, 2024
Mostly known for his appearance in the smash-hit series Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp is also a musician and producer. If you want to kick back and relax for a while, then a Depp movie has enough allure and intensity to whisk you away into another world. We collected the best comedies, dramas and fantastical roles starring this talented actor!
1. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

This movie is a modern take on the Pinocchio story. Edward is left with scissor blades for fingers after his creator dies before he can give him real hands. When Peg, a saleswoman, finds him living alone in a decrepit mansion, she takes him home. There he meets Kim, her daughter, and they slowly fall in love.
But as they grow closer, Kim’s boyfriend goes out of his way to make the neighborhood fearful of Edward – and Edward’s strange behavior doesn’t help.
2. Donnie Brasco (1997)

Based on a remarkable true story, Depp plays uncover FBI agent Joe Pistone who goes undercover for six years. Posing as a jewel thief called Donnie Brasco, he gains the trust of the Italian mafia in New York and soon begins to climb up through their ranks.
But rising in the mob comes at a price and for Pistone, it nearly wrecks his family and his sanity as he is forced to prove his loyalty by disposing of bodies. Things come to a head when the crime family wants to fully accept him as a member but first, he must commit murder.
3. Alice In Wonderland (2010)

When Alice runs away from a tea party where she received an unwanted marriage proposal, she sees a familiar-looking white rabbit. After following the animal into the woods, she falls down a hole and lands in a strange world. At first, dismissing all the wonderful things around her as a dream, Alice soon realizes that Wonderland is real and in grave danger.
She meets the Mad Hatter (Depp), who informs her that she’s been there before but after she had left, the dreadful Red Queen had taken over and brought nothing but misery to the land. The Red Queen learns that Alice is back and they are destined to a final bitter battle.
4. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)

Based on the beloved children’s book, the story revolves around Charlie, an impoverished boy, who desperately wants to get his hands on a golden ticket that would allow him to visit the Willy Wonka candy factory. When he manages to find the last of five tickets, he takes his grandfather along on a grand tour through the factory, led by the eccentric Wonka himself.
But the entire ticket competition turns out to be a test to find a worthy heir to take over the factory. In true Johnny Depp style, the movie turns into a fantastic and hilarious adventure as Wonka tests each of the children to find his successor.
5. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2002)

In 1846, Benjamin Barker returns to London bent on getting revenge. Fifteen years earlier, his happy family life had been destroyed when a corrupt judge called Turpin had Barker falsely imprisoned, raped his wife and also kidnapped their infant daughter. Now posing as a man called Sweeney Todd, he reopens his old barbershop where he, still feeling very angry at the world, starts to kill people who are then turned into pies by his friend Mrs Lovett.
The dark musical follows Sweeney’s journey of revenge that ultimately destroys his chances of reuniting his family.
6. Corpse Bride (2005)

In this dark comedy animation, Johnny Depp provides the voice for Victor Van Dort. A nervous groom-to-be, he goes to the forest to practice his vows. But when he slips the ring on a “branch” it turns out to be the finger of Emily, a woman who had died long ago. As she rises, she is convinced that they are now married and she whisks him off to the Land of the Dead.
Victor desperately wants to return and tricks Emily into taking him back. When she learns of the deception, his corpse bride steals him away from his living bride but once they learn that the latter is now forced by her parents to marry the same man who had murdered Emily, they team up to save her.
7. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

In 1799, police constable Ichabod Crane arrives in the small hamlet of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders. All the victims are missing their heads and while the residents blame a supernatural specter, that of a headless horseman, Crane remains skeptical.
But Crane is forced to abandon his scientific approach when more bodies appear – and so does the horseman, leading him to suspect that someone in the village had summoned the deadly apparition for dark purposes.
8. Benny And Joon (1993)

The Pearl siblings, Benny and Joon, live together after the accidental death of their parents. One night, Joon loses a bet with a friend and as a result, his cousin Sam has to stay over at the Pearl house. Initially skeptical, Benny allows Sam to stay after he sees that his presence is helping Joon with her mental illness.
But when they become lovers, Benny’s angry reaction threatens to shatter his sister’s fragile emotions, their bond as siblings, and also her romance with the quirky Sam.
9. Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)

Captain Jack Sparrow arrives in Port Royal to commandeer a ship, having lost his own vessel, the Black Pearl, to mutiny. However, he gets arrested and while in jail, the Pearl arrives. Now a ghost ship afflicted by a curse, her crew attacks the port and kidnaps Elizabeth, the headstrong daughter of the local governor.
Will, who loves her, frees Jack from prison to rescue Elizabeth. Seeing a chance to reclaim his ship, Jack agrees and the men embark on a journey that is filled with the undead, stolen treasure and adventure.
10. Blow (2001)

This biographical film follows the story of George Jung. As a young man, he starts dealing in marijuana and impressed by the stacks of money pouring in, he starts buying directly from a Mexican drug lord. But after he is caught with a large amount of weed, Geoge skips bail. He is eventually arrested and befriends an inmate that convinces him to deal cocaine instead.
George finds he has a knack for dealing cocaine and eventually becomes the leading US importer for the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. George learns too late that the world of narcotics is a treacherous place that will cost him his family and freedom.