10 Best Movies of Johnny Depp According to IMDb (2026 Update)

The best Johnny Depp movies according to IMDb user ratings are Platoon, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Donnie Brasco, Finding Neverland, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Dead Man, Blow and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Most sit between 7.5 and 8.1.

IMDb ratings move slightly over time as more people vote, so treat the numbers below as approximate. The order, though, has stayed fairly stable for years. We have also added what Depp is doing now, including his two upcoming studio films.

Best Johnny Depp movies on IMDb: quick list

10 best movies of Johnny Depp according to IMDb

1. Platoon (1986)

Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War drama tops the list, even though Depp has only a small part as a young soldier. The film follows Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), a new recruit caught between two sergeants played by Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe.

Platoon won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director. It is worth watching for the war story, not for Depp’s screen time.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

This is the role that made Depp a global star. His Captain Jack Sparrow, a swaying, slurring pirate inspired partly by Keith Richards, was not what Disney expected, and it became the heart of a five-film franchise.

The performance earned Depp his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. As a Disney title, the film is part of the Disney library on JioHotstar in India.

3. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Depp’s first film with Tim Burton is still one of his most loved. He plays Edward, an artificial man with scissors for hands who is taken into a pastel suburban neighbourhood. Winona Ryder co-stars.

Depp says very little in the film. Most of the performance is in his eyes and body language, and it set the tone for his long run of odd, gentle outsiders.

4. Ed Wood (1994)

Shot in black and white, this Tim Burton film is about Edward D. Wood Jr., often called one of the worst directors in Hollywood history. Depp plays him as a cheerful optimist who never stops believing in his terrible films.

Martin Landau won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing Bela Lugosi. Depp’s performance is funny and quietly moving.

5. Donnie Brasco (1997)

Based on a true story, Depp plays FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone, who goes undercover in a New York Mafia family as “Donnie Brasco.” Al Pacino plays Lefty, the ageing hitman who takes him under his wing.

It is one of Depp’s most restrained performances, and the bond between the two men gives the film its emotional weight.

6. Finding Neverland (2004)

Depp plays J.M. Barrie, the Scottish playwright who created Peter Pan, in this gentle period drama directed by Marc Forster. Kate Winslet plays the widowed mother whose sons inspire Barrie’s story.

The film brought Depp his second Oscar nomination for Best Actor and is a good pick for a family watch.

7. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Terry Gilliam’s chaotic adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s book has Depp as Raoul Duke, Thompson’s fictional alter ego, with Benicio del Toro as his lawyer. The film was a box office failure but later became a cult favourite.

Depp and Thompson became close friends while he prepared for the role, and Depp later paid for the writer’s famous memorial, where his ashes were fired from a cannon.

8. Dead Man (1995)

Jim Jarmusch’s black-and-white western follows William Blake, a meek accountant from Cleveland who becomes a wanted man in the Wild West. Neil Young’s guitar score adds to the dreamlike mood.

It is slow and strange, and Depp’s quiet performance suits it.

9. Blow (2001)

Depp plays George Jung, the American smuggler who helped build the cocaine trade in the US in the 1970s. Penélope Cruz plays his wife, and Ray Liotta plays his father.

The film tracks Jung’s rise and fall over several decades. Depp ages convincingly across it.

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

This is where it all began. Wes Craven’s horror classic, about teenagers hunted in their dreams by Freddy Krueger, was Depp’s first film role. He plays Glen Lantz, the boyfriend of lead character Nancy.

His death scene, in which he is pulled into his own bed, is still one of the most famous moments in slasher films.

Other Johnny Depp films worth watching

• What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993): Depp plays a young man caring for his family, opposite a young Leonardo DiCaprio.
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): Burton’s musical brought Depp a Golden Globe and his third Oscar nomination.
• Black Mass (2015): Depp plays Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger.
• Jeanne du Barry (2023): Depp plays King Louis XV in this French period film by Maïwenn, which opened the Cannes Film Festival.

What is Johnny Depp doing in 2026?

Depp has moved back into studio films. He plays Ebenezer Scrooge in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, directed by Ti West for Paramount, which is set for a theatrical release on 13 November 2026.

He also stars with Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline in Day Drinker, a thriller directed by Marc Webb for Lionsgate, scheduled for 26 March 2027. In 2024, he directed Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness, a film about the painter Amedeo Modigliani. For more Hollywood news, see our Hollywood section, and for more ranked lists, browse our listicles.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: IMDb: Johnny Depp, Wikipedia: Johnny Depp filmography, Nerdist on the Ebenezer trailer.