This is breaking news. Johnny Depp has been named the Top Moneymaking Star of 2007 according
to an annual poll. This is the second year in a row that he secured the No.1 spot. And the truth is
Johnny Depp is not only the top earning actor in Hollywood but also a versatile actor who is very
serious about his craft.
Sometimes I wonder if Johnny Depp is a believer in that saying：beauty is a curse. It seems like he goes
out of his way to tarnish his gorgeous appearance. Let’s take a close look at his filmography. He often
chose to portray very offbeat characters. For someone with such an incredible good look, you would
expect him to maintain a perfect on screen image but then he does the exact opposite.
In 1990 Johnny Depp was Edward Scissorhands; 1993 he was Sam in BENNY& JOON; 1994 he was
Ed Wood; 1995 he was Don Juan in DON JUAN DEMARCO; the list goes on and on. In 2003
Depp appeared as Captain Jack Sparrow. Despite the negative feedback from the studio executives the
audience fell in love with the oddest looking pirate ever because he distorted our idea of what a
pirate is supposed to be like. Johnny Depp earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal as Jack Sparrow.
For the sixth time Johnny Depp has teamed up with Tim Burton again for SWEENEY TODD:
THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. They are such best friends that Burton asked Depp to be
the godfather of his son. SWEENEY TODD is based on a Broadway musical that tells the gruesome
tale of a barber who seeks revenge from a powerful man who torn his family apart 15 years ago.
Some may know that Johnny Depp is a musician and he also plays the guitar. But being cast in a film
version musical is a brand new challenge for him. According to an interview with the Telegraph in U.K.,
Burton searched for actors with reasonable singing voices rather than singers who can act. After
listening to a demo tape from Depp, Burton says, 「Johnny’s not a singer and the fact he did it and did it
so well and without any fears shows that he’s capable of almost anything.」
Let’s face it. This film’s biggest attraction is Johnny Depp and his star power will draw the crowd to
the theaters. 9 out of 10 women on earth will pay to see him on the silver screen willingly whether he’s
a villain or mentally challenged. Men have become fans of Johnny Depp as well ever since he made
their dream come true via the trilogy of THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.
Since the audience loved him when he was Captain Jack Sparrow, they will adore him as Sweeney Todd
the Barber. Listening to Johnny Depp sing will transform your viewing experience into something
special. The rest of the ensemble will please the viewers as well, especially Alan Rickman, the Golden
Globe and Emmy Award winning British actor.
This film is in color but it gives the viewers a sense of black & white and very gothic too. Director Tim
Burton did that purposely. His inspiration for this film comes from all the old horror films he watched
as a kid. Therefore this film is also homage to those old horror films and the actors involved in them.
「It’s like a silent movie with music」,director Burton explains.
There is one friendly reminder for those moviegoers who are terrified of seeing blood spurting all over
the place. You might end up missing a lot of scenes in this film if you can’t stand blood on screen.
Once the barber Mr. Todd launches his revenge plan, he slits one throat after another. He is taking lives
mercilessly and does not even hesitate. I lost count on how many throats he slit because I turned my
head to the side so that I wouldn’t have to endure bloody scenes that might give me nightmares of
being brutally murdered.
The tagline on the poster says, 「NEVER FORGET NEVER FORGIVE」. That is the exact attitude of
Sweeney Todd when he swears vengeance on the murder of his family. He lets hatred consume him
which causes him to make an irreversible mistake.
Whether you are a musical lover or not, I think you’ll enjoy Johnny Depp’s performance and realize
that as a homicidal barber Johnny Depp is sexy as ever.
