The entertainment world may be busy heralding Johnny Depp’s “comeback” role as James “Whitey” Bulger in Black Mass (read our review). However, it remains to be seen if the film will mark a creative resurgence for Depp (or even lead him to Oscar gold this coming awards season). After all, the actor was among the most underrated stars in Hollywood long before he complained about his missing rum as Captain Jack Sparrow. Everyone knows about Depp’s memorable, Oscar-nominated turns in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Finding Neverland and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street., but here are five of his best — and most underappreciated — big-screen turns.

Cry-Baby (1990)

John Water’s 1990 satire of 1950s-set musicals — namely, Grease — might not be among Depp’s most dramatic performances. Still, it notably established his penchant for riskier, quirkier material than other heartthrobs of the day. Depp wouldn’t actually sing in a big-screen musical until Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd in 2007, but his role here as the dreamy bad boy of this camp classic certainly won over more than a few hearts, mere months before his unforgettable performance as Edward Scissorhands.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

Nowadays, Depp is known for having a flair for the theatrical, but in this Lasse Hallström drama, he delivers one of the most effectively understated performances of his career. Leonardo DiCaprio gets the juicier role as his mentally impaired younger brother (and earned an Oscar nomination), but Depp is the quiet storm at the center of a troubled family life, the one man who thanklessly serves as the anchor on which the entire household depends. In much the same way, the actor holds this film together, elevating the material and his fellow castmates.

Ed Wood (1994)

The second great collaboration between Burton and Depp, the actor’s turn as the manic, notoriously terrible filmmaker is often cited as one of his best films and for good reason. Rather than mocking Wood’s ill-conceived passion for films like Glen or Glenda and Plan 9 from Outer Space, Depp helps viewers empathize with the poor schmuck, painting a lovingly weird portrait of a man blissfully unaware of his own ineffective storytelling prowess. Burton would later guide Depp to other notable performances in Sleepy Hollow and the stop-motion musical Corpse Bride.

Donnie Brasco (1997)

Black Mass continues Depp’s tradition of dabbling in crime dramas, a genre he also worked in with Public Enemies and Blow. However, this film — which sees Depp share the screen and some poignant chemistry with the legendary Al Pacino — first established just how well he fits into epic tales of criminals and those individuals hunting them down. Here Depp plays a bit of both, as his FBI agent goes a bit too deep undercover to take down the mob. The result is a morally nuanced performance that still stands as one of the actor’s finest dramatic roles.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)

Just a couple months after Jack Sparrow took the world by storm, Depp casually popped up in theaters as a corrupt CIA agent with his own agenda in this sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s 1995 action film Desperado. Sure, the film itself is a bit of a bloated mess, but it all comes together into a fun experience for fans of such sprawling epics. Depp’s enigmatic Sands is chief among the film’s assets and largely succeeds in stealing the film away from franchise star Antonio Banderas in the process. Sadly, the wry, murderous Sands is among Depp’s most unsung roles.

Did we miss your favorite Johnny Depp role? Let us know what you think should be on this list and why. And don’t miss our review of the actor’s latest, Black Mass!

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