Is anyone else frustrated by Johnny Depp lately?

The actor toiled away for years in Hollywood, turning in one sharp performance after the next, but he couldn’t get mainstream audiences to embrace his high-wire act.

Enter Jack Sparrow.

Depp’s Oscar-nominated turn as the swishy, saucy swashbuckler in “Pirates of the Caribbean” endeared him to the masses while keeping his acting chops pure.

The actor’s subsequent work has left me deflated – and worried he’s started believing his own press clippings.

Consider “Public Enemies,” last year’s disappointing biopic which cast Depp as John Dillinger. Talk about great casting … so why didn’t the film leave an emotional mark?

Depp’s work in the two “Pirate” sequels felt like a greatest hits compilation of Sparrow tics, nothing more.

And Depp’s Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland” proved similarly chaotic, as if he no longer feels the need to build a character from the ground up. He just has to be … Depp-like and audiences will cheer him on.

My sour feelings for the actor likely started with “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Tim Burton’s unnecessary remakeof the Gene Wilder classic.

Depp’s Willy Wonka was … weird. Not wonderfully weird, like Wilder’s version. Just awkward and charmless.

Perhaps his best recent turn came via “Sweeney Todd,” a film which showcased his singing talents and ability to bring a tortured soul to life.

Depp’s future still looks bright. He’s gearing up for a fourth “Pirates” film (sigh), a project all but guaranteed to print money. His other intriguing projects include “The Rum Diary” and “Happy Days” with director Terry Zwigoff.

Let’s hope he remembers the quirky, singular work that proved he was more than just a teen idol on a glossy Fox show.

(Photo: Johnny Depp played John Dillinger in “Public Enemies,” but he couldn’t get under the skin of the famous outlaw)

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When is a smart, sophisticated summer movie brimming with history and gravitas a letdown?

When it stars Johnny Depp and Christian Bale and the man behind the camera is Michael Mann.

“Public Enemies” should satiate mature minded movie goers looking for salvation against the tide of mindless blockbusters. It’s a beautifully constructed film, one with seemingly every element locked in for a modern movie classic.

But while Mann (“Heat,” “Collateral”) remains a technical maestro, he still has trouble getting under the skin of his characters.

Who else could film the life story of boxing great Muhammad Ali and leave viewers unsure of what really made Ali tick by the film’s end?

“Public Enemies” tells the fascinating true story behind John Dillinger (Depp), the notorious bank robber from Depression-era Chicago.

The film opens with a bravura sequence featuring Dillinger breaking out of jail along with a few of his partners in crime. Right away, Dillinger’s savvy, his ability to cajole those around him with either his charisma or a Tommy Gun, get firmly established.

Dillinger’s crime spree catches the attention of J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup in the film’s best supporting turn). Hoover hires Melvin Purvis (Bale) to bring said spree to an end.

Meanwhile, Dillinger remains a few paces ahead of Purvis’ small army, finding time between heists to woo a cagey hatcheck girl (Oscar winner Marion Cotillard).

Mann’s film doesn’t tap into the Depression-era zeitgeist as one might expect, or even fear. It’s all surface thrills and gorgeous tracking shots, leaving the viewer detached from the endless gun fights. And there’s little narrative cohesion to the story, leaving an episodic tale with an ending that doesn’t do Dillinger’s anti-hero life justice.

Depp established his career by playing against his physical type – and broadcasting his eccentric inner self to audiences. Here, he plays it maddeningly straight, and it’s one of his least compelling performances.

That’s still better than Bale, who’s given almost nothing to work with and substitutes stoicism for any sense of character. He’s a carbon copy, and a fading one at that, of Kevin Costner’s superior performance as Eliot Ness in “The Untouchables.”

This should have been the Summer of Bale, but from his on-set tirade to two lackluster turns (“Enemies” and “Terminator Salvation”) it’s ending up a season to forget for the gifted actor.

“Public Enemies” remains an intelligent piece of craftsmanship. It’s just not the thoroughly engaging film we were led to expect.

(Photo: Johnny Depp plays famed bank robber John Dillinger in “Public Enemies.”)

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