Watch: Johnny Depp channels Hunter S. Thompson again in 'Rum Diary' clips

In "The Rum Diary," the chameleon-like Johnny Depp does his best Hunter S. Thompson impression again, as he did in Terry Gilliam's 1997 cult film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

Like that film, "Diary" is inspired by the work of Thompson, although Depp's character goes under a made up name.

In the movie, writer Paul Kemp (Depp) moves from 1950's New York to the sandy seemingly utopic surroundings of Puerto Rico, where he covers some very strange goings-on for the local paper. 

The film also stars Amber Heard ("The Playboy Club"), Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor"), Giovanni Ribisi ("Avatar") and "The Dark Knight Rise's" Aaron Eckhart.

In the first clip (above), handsome Depp and beautiful Heard meet-cute, and the former pulls out an age-old gag mixing up astronomy and astrology.

The second clip finds Kemp talking business with an American emigre named Sanderson (Eckhart) with money on his mind:



Not the most excited clips of all-time, but they indicate that Depp's performance will be significantly more subdued than his scenery chewing "Fear and Loathing" work.

"Diary" also marks the long-awaited return of "Withnail & I" director Bruce Robinson. His most recent film, the less-than-stellar "Jennifer 8," was released almost twenty years ago.

"The Rum Diary" opens October 28.

Dave Lewis
Producer

• Follow

Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.