4 Must-Watch Johnny Depp Mob Movies   

Actor John Christopher Depp II professionally known as Johnny Depp. Photo By Angela George – Wikimedia Commons

4 Must-Watch Johnny Depp Mob Movies   

John Christopher Depp II, commonly known as Johnny Depp, is an American actor and musician. He was born on 9th June 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky but his family moved to Florida when he was 7 years old.

This actor’s mum gifted him a guitar when he was young. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 years to pursue his interest in music. He got into a band and played guitar and was also a talented vocalist. 

Depp and his bandmates moved to Los Angeles when he was 20 but the band split up shortly after. He did several odd jobs to sustain himself and around the same time, he met Nicholas Cage who introduced him to acting. He started acting to make extra cash because his music career wasn’t paying all his bills. 

Depp’s first acting job was in 1984 in the film ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’. He would later become a teen idol in the late 80s and early 90s because of a role he played in 21 Jump Street, the TV show series. He has done so many other movies over the years and still does music even at times making soundtracks for the films. 

Even though Depp has received negative publicity in the recent past due to allegations of domestic violence, substance abuse, poor on-set behavior, and the loss of his US$650 million fortune, the public still loves Johnny Depp movies because his performances and charisma are over the top.

Johnny Depp has a daughter, Lily-Rose, who is an actress. You can read facts about her here.

Here are 4 must-watch Johnny Depp mob movies. 

1. Donnie Brasco 

Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash

The first movie on this list is Donnie Brasco. This movie was released in 1997 and was a box office success that received positive reviews from critics. It is loosely based on the true story of an FBI agent, Joe Pistone, who worked undercover as Donnie Brasco in a New York mafia family in the 70s and 80s.  

In the movie, Johnny Depp acts with the famous Al Pacino and the dual is amazing in this production. The FBI undercover agent is assigned to unearth the criminal activities of the Bonanno crime family in New York City and he poses as Donnie a jewel thief from Vero Beach, Florida.  

He is forced to behave like a criminal as he gains the trust of the Mafia hitman, Lefty Ruggiero, acted by Al Pacino. Lefty trusts him and he introduces Donnie to the other mafias and he gets deeper into the criminal organization. 

Will Donnie cross the federal agent line to the criminal side to avoid blowing his cover? Watch this crime drama movie to find out. 

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2. Blow 

Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

Blow is a crime movie that is based on a book titled ‘Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All’. In the 2001 movie, Johnny Depp acts as George Jung an American cocaine kingpin.

The movie is a story about his life and connections with mafias like narcotics kings Pablo Escobar and Carlos Lehder Rivas (portrayed in the film as Diego Delgado), and the Medellín Cartel. 

The story starts from when he is 10 years old to when he is aged. He has been in and out of prison several times, he has had and ruined his family and many other issues. In the end, he only has one regret. Watch the film to find out. 

3. Once Upon a Time in Mexico 

Once Upon a Time in Mexico is a 2003 movie in which Johnny Depp acts as Sheldon Sands, a CIA agent who plays both sides. It also features Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi, who is hired by the CIA agent to kill a corrupt general responsible for the death of his(Mariachi’s) wife and daughter. 

The corrupt general is a Mexican Army officer who has been hired by A Mexican drug lord and Mafia leader to assassinate the President of Mexico and overthrow the government. There is mistrust and betrayal as is the norm with mob movies.

The agent’s plan is compromised but he realizes when it’s too late and so the Mafia corner and capture him. Its leader and his daughter drill his eyes out. Will the agent manage to turn some mafia men against their leader? Watch Once Upon a Time in Mexico to see Depp (who is blind at some point) and Banderas in action. 

4. Black Mass

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Black Mass is a crime movie based on the book ‘Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob’. It was released in 2015 and it is a story that focuses on an American mobster Whitey Bulger.  

Johnny Depp acts as Bulger, who is the leader of the Winter Hill Gang, controls most organized crime within South Boston, and has a wife and one sick son. Bulger’s supremacy is challenged by the North End-based Angiulo Brothers, a rival gang that is part of the New England Mafia family. 

He chooses to become a rat, to sell out the rival gang’s secrets to the authorities because he understands very well what he is about to gain from the deal which means protection for his gang members, his family, and himself. Watch to see how bad the rivalry gets and which gang rules the day. 

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