"Did you miss me?"
"I missed the money."
"Good. I love a whore with sentiment."

Combine "Leaving Las Vegas" with "Dangerous Liaisons" and add a sprinkle of Marquis de Sade-like debauchery, and you have this literate and poetic tragedy called "The Libertine".

The tragedy is not the demise of a man, so much at it is a demise of promise and talent.

Johnny Depp, an actor who has arguably become the most popular of the last decade, stars, in what I consider to be one of his finest performances, as John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester. Binge drinking, philandering, debaucherous, vile, contemptible, sexually depraved, callous, hateful… all words one could use to describe Wilmot. He could also be labelled handsome, playful, witty, literate, wise, insightful, romantic, experimental, courageous and unique.

“The Libertine” explores the final year of his hard-drinking life as he drifts away from his wife (Rosamund Pike), courts a young actress (Samantha Morton) in the playhouse, and is himself courted by the King to write a magnificent play that will impress his political connections and fellow dignitaries.

But the Earl of Rochester is a self-loathing man, so consumed by his own thoughts and brilliance that the world bores him. He is a true cynic of the time, unable to allow happiness into his life.

The opening monologue of the film has him declare to the audience that we will not like him. But he may as well be talking to himself. He is not of this world… He is either too far above it or too far below. His only resort is to destroy it at every turn. If he is going to be miserable, then so shall everyone else be too.

The film is shot almost entirely by candlelight… perhaps signifying the dying of the light inside the man. It creates a sad and lonely mood, somber enough to befit the subject. Johnny Depp’s transformation and arc in this film should be recognized by the Academy. It is a masterful turn.

Lizzie is played powerfully by the enigmatic Samantha Morton. She holds her own with Depp in a perfect scene where the Earl teaches the young actress how to play truth on stage rather than the imitation of it.

Rosamund Pike plays Elizabeth Wilmot, the lonely wife who sees her husband destroying his own life, and simultaneously hers. She bounces from restrained to hysterical in a ranging role that marks her as a great young actress who deserves great parts. With nice turns in this year’s “Pride & Prejudice” and “The Libertine” coupled with an atypical choice to appear in the action flick “Doom”, Pike is well on her way to breaking the Bond girl jinx and making it as an actress of note.

John Malkovich, who also produced this period-piece, is note perfect and subtly understated as the King who prods the Earl to sort his life out so he can get the literary masterwork out of him.

“The Libertine” explodes on to the screen for the first hour but falters slightly in the second. I was confident that the film would be an A+ until the final third delivered some messy narrative rhythm and forgot to tie up some loose ends. However, it still ranks as one of the best films of 2005.

Depp, Pike, Morton and Malkovich announce their lines with Shakespearean authority. The script is literate and poetic. The story is tragic and yet justified. As the Earl drinks himself into oblivion, we find ourselves wishing that he could somehow right the ship and give those around him a glimmer of hope. But he can’t even squeeze that ounce of kindness out in his final moments.

The final monologue has him asking the audience if we like him now. The answer is that we could have, if only he’d liked himself.

© Written by TC Candler

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - A Richard Propes - B Jacob Hall -

Richard Propes' Comment

It is a pity that one of Johnny Depp's best performances has gone largely unnoticed by critics and audiences alike. This is difficult to assess, really. My gut feeling says that under a more experienced director, this performance would have been surrounded by a more worthy film. Depp had me from the film's opening scene, and had me glued to the screen throughout. The performances by Rosamund Pike, John Malkovich (who had Depp's part in the stage production) and Samantha Morton are uniformly stellar. The film ultimately declines in impact due to the over-utilization of low-lighting and a few odd editing choices. Additionally, Depp's make-up in his closing scenes was distractingly unrealistic. Generally, these are minor issues with a unique, powerful film that deserves a much greater audience. Depp proves, once again, he's one of the finest actors work today.

Jacob Hall's Comment

n/a