Johnny Depp is back!

Johnny Depp has always been great. He'll probably go down as one of the best actors of this era. However, recently, he's strayed away from the Johnny we all fell in love with and made questionable movie decisions, like "The Tourist" and all those "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies (Jack Sparrow was a great character in the first couple, but then it just got old). I miss the days of the Johnny Depp who did "Edward Scissorhands" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Well, after seeing "The Rum Diary," I can happily say the old Depp is back.

Of course it has to be Hunter S. Thompson who brought Depp back to his glory. Depp befriended the eccentric gonzo journalist when he played him in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." While Thompson died in 2005 (suicide after battling multiple health problems), Depp has given multiple interviews that he knew he had to make Thompson proud with his portrayal of an early Thompson-inspired journalist in "The Rum Diary." First off, if you haven't read up on Hunter S. Thompson, you need to. The man is one of the most unique characters in media to date. Read his biography "Gonzo" or check out his Wiki page if you're feeling lazy or time-deprived.

"The Rum Diary" is based off one of Thompson's books, q fictionalized story inspired by Thompson's experiencing writing down in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. While the 50s were a crazy time in America, they were just as crazy and revolutionary down in Puerto Rico. This movie deals with politics, race, religion, drugs ad greed. It avoids being heavy-handed and ends up fascinating. Depp plays journalist Paul Kemp, an alcoholic journalist who thinks he's all about making a quick buck but then comes across some morals. He finds his morals after he starts working for a smooth talking businessman, played by the wonderful Aaron Eckhart. Eckhart plays his two-faced character so well, that's he's not outshined by Depp, but instead their characters feed off of each others energy. Amber Heard plays the love interest. I'm not usually a fan of her's, but her waspy naive seductress act works for this role. Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Rispoli aren't outshined either and lend their talents to amazing supporting actor roles. I didn't even recognize Ribisi at first, as his character is a crazy wreck with a propensity for 100 proof liquor and any drug he can get his hands on.

Outside of the superb acting, the Puerto Rico backdrop is stunning. The story moves along quickly, is fairly true to the book, and gets the viewer invested in the characters. There's funny and sad parts and mostly it's just crazy. I would definitely recommend catching this one in theaters, especially if you became a fan of Depp in his Fear and Loathing days.