Okay. I’ll admit. I like Johnny Depp. But only as a friend, and maybe as an actor. In light of the upcoming release of the Sweeny Todd movie, I’ve decided to recap my two favorite Johnny Depp moments, and then watch them brawl to the death and only one is left standing.
Moment #1: Once Upon a Time in Mexico – a much heralded and harangued film, features Depp as some sort of FBI/CIA agent who’s gone crooked and basically runs a lot of the criminal scene. In one scene, Depp and Cheech Marin are sitting in a cafe and Depp is trying to buy information from Cheech. He asks Cheech why he only asked for 10,000 for payment. Cheech explains that if he asked for too much, Depp would probably take the information and kill him and get the money back. If he asked for too little, he might not think the information was credible – and 10,000 seemed like a number that everyone could live with.
Moment #2: I hate to jump on the bandwagon, but I know I am not alone when I say Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl is one of my favorite movies. In one of the most memorable and oft-quoted scenes, Jack Sparrow (Depp) and Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley) are shanghaied and left for dead on an island in the middle of nowhere. Jack and Elizabeth spend an evening getting semi-drunk around a camp fire. The next morning / afternoon Jack wakes up to find Elizabeth has used all of Jack’s secret cache of booze to make a giant signal fire. Jack’s response to Elizabeth’s explanation for her actions is “Yes, but why is the rum gone?”
Many people probably noticed that when Depp is talking to El Mariachi in Once Upon a Time… he says the word “savvy” – more than likely an homage to his role as Captain Jack. Between these two moments, I’d have to say #2 is my real favorite – it has so many real-life opportunities for quotation.
I don’t know about you all, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to see “Sweeny Todd” when it comes out, and in the mean time I’ll be going to visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site to keep up with the latest Sweeny Todd news. You can also visit Sweeny Todd on MySpace.