Title: The Libertine (2004)Starring: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich
Directed By: Laurence Dunmore
From the little bit I've read about him, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester was (to say the least) a very intriguing man. It was public knowledge, even in his own time that he was a drunk, a bisexual adulterer, and an author of dirty poems. With his works, he made an enemy of King Charles II and was exiled from the court.
So this officially qualifies as a "fun role"; especially for Johnny Depp. The film opens with Depp addressing the audience directly and telling us that we will not like him. In fact, he doesn't want us to like him. This would be all well and good, but the lines are delivered with such charm and confidence that we do like him. The story hasn't even begun, and I am interested in this man. I'm invested in his story.
What follows is a pretty straightforward period piece revolving around Rochester's affair with up and coming theatre actress Elizabeth Barry. Unfortunately whenever the film isn't directly portraying Rochester, it falls a little flat. In fact, because of the richness of the character, it's a bit boring whenever he's not on screen. Malkovich is fine as Charles II and Samantha Morton is really good as Barry, but there's just something missing whenever Depp isn't delivering another clever line.
His character's failing health and public ousting cause for a rather slow third act, as well. It's right about here I started to feel the less-than-2-hr runtime begin to drag. Still though, it was a fun character to watch Johnny Depp bring to life. They can't all be Mad Hatters and Jack Sparrows and Willy Wonkas, you know.
Score: 6.5/10
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