Johnny Depp. Is there really anything else I can say to convince you that "The Libertine" is worth your time? Honestly, there shouldn’t be. Throughout his colorful career there seems to be an unlimited array of unusual characters whose shoes he cannot ably fill. From the day he left behind the boyish charms of "21 Jump Street" and began taking on film roles that any other actor would run away from. The fact of the matter is (and no I am not gay… by the way), Depp was given the gift of good looks and instead of parlaying those looks into typical leading man roles, he opted to go for the unusual and the bizarre. He chose roles that would often hide his features, allowing audiences to focus on his talents as an actor.

Films like "Edward Scissorhands", "Ed Wood", and even more recently, "Pirates of the Caribbean" (and the subsequent sequels) have given him the opportunity to prove he is an actor of merit, able to transform himself into any character, anytime, anywhere. The movies might not always be great, but he is always great in them.

Alright… enough of the love fest. I think you get the idea. "The Libertine" is one of those lesser movies that Depp is still great in. He plays John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester. For all intents and purposes, you should think Casanova. It's not the same character, but it's a close enough example. He is a poet, a drunk and a lover of women… all women. He is the guy we all hate, because women fall for his charms (even when they know they shouldn’t) instead of opting for the 'nice guy' that the rest of us are. What makes matters worse, is that al the time he is getting these women, he happens to be married. (You know the type… same back then as they are now.)

But there is, even for rakish characters like these, there are always those conquests which might someday lead to their downfall. Here, she comes in the form of an aspiring actress, Elizabeth Barry (Samantha Morton), for whom Wilmot forms a very strong… obsession… shall we say. Needless to say, such as any obsession can only lead to bad things… well. Around the same time he is hired by King Charles II (John Malkovich) to write a lay… I mean… play (sorry for the slip) that will inspire his people. Wilmot takes on the challenge, but what comes out when he takes feather to paper is undecidedly against everything the King wished for. Actually, it moves beyond the sensibilities of most rationally thinking people. As things go from bad to worse, Wilmot finds himself (figuratively) thrown to the wolves.

For the most part, "The Libertine" is a fairly entertaining film, but it loses something in the running time, which is just under two hours. From what I saw in the deleted scenes, a lot was excised from the final film and perhaps a little more might have been warranted. Some of the editing also seemed a little rough, which led me to believe that perhaps a bit more was considered for the cutting room floor, but left in at the last minute. There are also a few scenes in the film that were a bit distasteful and I question the director's motives for leaving them in.

Aside from these problems, the performances throughout by Depp, Morton and Malkovich are rich and well-played. Sometimes period pieces like these appear to be no more than an opportunity for some actors to play 'dress-up' and act in their high school play, but here everyone really seemed as though they belonged in the time. The look of the film was also very interesting and helped to portray London of the day, with many of the night time shots filmed by what appeared to be real candlelight.

I mentioned the extras earlier, and along with the deleted scenes, there is a fairly lengthy making of piece and a commentary by director Laurence Dunmore. Commentaries be either good or bad, depending on the commentator, and rarely in between. Dunmore doesn’t really have the flair for speaking and often has trouble with what he wants to talk about. Of the features, I would skip this one entirely.

Since "The Libertine" was released with little fanfare, considering its stars, I was prepared to be disappointed. I thought it might be one of those films that gets put on the shelf, being really bad, only to see the light of day when some bigger film (with one of the stars) is getting all the attention. There were flaws to be sure, but in spite of those flaws I was drawn in by the performances and ended up liking it enough to recommend to a chosen few.

Directed by: Laurence Dunmore
Starring: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Making of Documentary, Director Commentary, Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Weinstein
Release Date: 7/4/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (Strong Sexuality including Dialogue, Violence and Language)
Website

:We'll give The Libertine a C+