The Brave (1997)

81% want to see it
(10,226 ratings)

Johnny Depp made his debut as a director and screenwriter with this allegorical tale of the plight of Native Americans. Raphael (Depp) is an alcoholic American Indian who lives in a hovel near a junkyard with his wife Rita (Elpidia Carillo) and his children Frankie (Cody Lightning) and Marta (Nicole… More Johnny Depp made his debut as a director and screenwriter with this allegorical tale of the plight of Native Americans. Raphael (Depp) is an alcoholic American Indian who lives in a hovel near a junkyard with his wife Rita (Elpidia Carillo) and his children Frankie (Cody Lightning) and Marta (Nicole Mancera); he scrapes together a meager living rescuing potentially salable items from the rubbish. Desperate to raise money, Raphael arranges to meet a wealthy man named McCarthy (Marlon Brando), who makes him an unusual offer: he'll pay Raphael $50,000 to appear in a film in which he's beaten to death by a gang of rednecks. The murder in the film will not be faked; if he takes the role, Raphael will suffer a painful demise in front of the camera. Raphael accepts, hoping the money will help Rita build a better life for their children. For the next seven days, Raphael tries to enjoy his last week on Earth and teach Frankie something of his new responsibilities as the man of the house. The Brave received decidedly mixed reviews in its initial screenings at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival; it had a limited release in Europe but has yet to appear in the United States, either in theaters or on home video. Punk rock icon Iggy Pop composed the film's score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 3 min.
Directed By: Johnny Depp
Genres: Drama

Critic Reviews

Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
...standard vengeance-is-mine stuff, gussied up with hifalutin pseudo-profundity.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
It has flaws -- it has at least one major one -- but overall this is an honorable and provocative debut.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean !

An early film starring and directed by Johnny Depp. It's a rather slow tale about the length someone is prepared to go to give their family a better life. Starring Marlon Brando as well briefly it's an interesting tale but the film is too long. There aren't many scenes… More
An early film starring and directed by Johnny Depp. It's a rather slow tale about the length someone is prepared to go to give their family a better life. Starring Marlon Brando as well briefly it's an interesting tale but the film is too long. There aren't many scenes that stand out either and it kinda feels like a made for TV film. For Johnny's die hard fans only really.
Lady D

Directed and starring Johnny Depp, this storyline made for a pretty promising film, however the first half I found pretty boring, the second half started to warm up a little and had some emotional scenes. If this film does nothing else, it shows you how bad poverty can be
Mike T

Johnny Depp's directorial debut never really finds its footing, but I didn't have the same issues with it that most critics seemed to. I've noticed recurring complaints about the film's slow pacing, but I thought that was advantageous to the style Depp was going… More
Johnny Depp's directorial debut never really finds its footing, but I didn't have the same issues with it that most critics seemed to. I've noticed recurring complaints about the film's slow pacing, but I thought that was advantageous to the style Depp was going for. However, it's obvious that the execution of the picture isn't completely successful. It looks like a TV movie, with rigidly staged scenes that don't always transition well. However, there are some things I really like about the film. For one thing, the story is excellent and the conclusion has an impact, despite all the problems preceding it. This is one of Depp's finest achievements as an actor. He crafts a nuanced, empathetic protagonist who is always engaging to watch. Brando's brief appearance is brilliantly played. His acting was unpredictable and vibrant in a way that nobody else's is, and his dialogue with Depp is exciting to watch. The other players deliver performances ranging from good to terrible, which contributes to the movie's inconsistency overall.