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Opening in July, Johnny Depp takes on the role of John Dillinger in the much anticipated film, Public Enemies
Considering the entire filmography of Depp, it is not surprising that he is playing the part of one of the most famous bank robbers of the 20th Century. Dillinger became a kind of folk hero in the Great Depression years as the American public read the newspaper reports of his daring exploits. Johnny Depp has never shied away from unusual roles, and Dillinger presents him with the challenge of playing a biographical figure. That is territory not unfamiliar to Depp who took on the role of the quirky film director Ed Wood.
Dillinger, classified by law enforcement agencies as a public enemy in the 1930s, achieved legendary status among other notorious criminals of the day such as Bonnie and Clyde and Ma Barker. They were the so-called public enemies that led to the development of America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation. Included in the second of Dillinger’s gangs was another colorful figure, Lester Gillis (a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson). Nelson is played by Stephen Graham in the movie.
Much of Public Enemies, directed by Michael Mann, was filmed on actual locations where Dillinger met with his gang members and faced the FBI. Details in the film strive for accuracy including the poster for Manhattan Melodrama outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago where Dillinger left the movie and was shot shortly afterward. Many of the locations include buildings which still retain the architectural features of Dillinger’s day.
The versatile Johnny Depp adds this role to a long filmography of characters he has chosen to play because they interest him. Below is a list of ten of Johnny Depp’s best performances:
(1) Edward Scissorhands
(2) What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
(3) Ed Wood
(4) Don Juan DeMarco
(5) Sleepy Hollow
(6) Chocolat
(7) Sweeny Todd
(8) The Man Who Cried
(9) Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy
(10) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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