The Brave (1997)

Why so much hype?

Good movie but grossly overrated

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*First the good. The Brave, written and directed by Johnny Depp, had its moments. Somewhere among all the long, unnecessary diversions, beat the heart of a truly meaningful movie; the core conflict of which is the same as Death of a Salesman: What does a man do when he thinks he's worth more dead than alive? That the movie actually grappled with this question is to its credit.Now the bad. What the heck was going on with all the bizarre characters in the garbage dump village? Terry Gilliam influence? The two main aspects of this movie (the core conflict and the secondary characters) didn't fit together at all. Editing about 20 minutes out of the garbage dump village sequences would've been addition by subtraction, IMHO. More screen time for Brando would've helped, too. Finally, the ugly. This movie made me want to take a bath. Depp wears essentially the same clothes throughout the week-long time frame (he does change shirts once). Hot, sweaty, no running water...I guess that added to the atmosphere of why he wanted to get his family out. The Brave has to be in contention for the least amount of greenery on film ever. Other than the one neighbor's grass garden, there is hardly another living plant anywhere. Special kudos to Iggy Pop for the excellent scoring. Fantastic music throughout; very spare and earthy: tribal drums, wooden flutes, etc. I'm going to seek out the soundtrack.Final score: 6/10. Depp's direction was good, I thought. The love scene b/n his character and the wife felt real; even more so because "it" happened only once. But, the central conflict: accepting money to be killed for entertainment, could've been explored more deeply. I didn't even understand that was the deal until the 90-minute mark when Depp confesses to the priest. More focus, less weirdness...but all in all not a bad flick.

it is not exactly a movie with Marlon Brando and Johnny Depp. or a story of a small community. it is a testimony about things who remains roots of images. a film as a trip. the acting, the script, the music are leafs of a state of soul because it is just an universal case who reflects crumbs of every life. it is defined by something who seems be a kind of September wind. nostalgic, cold, painful, honest, delicate, cruel, it is only shadow of a choice. an option. and only sin remains the expectations of some viewers about director and lead actor. because, more than a movie by a terrible child of cinema, it is a poem. a confession. a sketch for the use of public emotions, experiences, choices. that is all.

I was completely blown away by this movie.Johnny Depp is glorious as Raphael, what an outstanding movie. it left me heartbroken and shattered. Brilliant movie that needed several more viewings, once was not enough to absorb all that is there to be comprehended. There is a lot to absorb in this movie, Johnny co-wrote the script and also Directed it, if he decides to change from an actor and decides to continue as a Director there is not way he wouldn't succeed. I hadn't heard of this movie, I discovered it when I researched a list of movies he had made it. I am do pleased that I bought it knowing nothing about it. It certainly isn't a light and fluffy movie, but, well worth watching.

Johnny Depp is one of the finest actors of Hollywood and I appreciate his attempt in directing. However, the final outcome of 'The Brave' is halfbaked. The film itself is quite boring with only a few notable sequences. The plot feels contrived, even though there's hardly anything going on most of the time. The cinematography is good in places. The dialogues are ineffective. Given the limited budget, the film does look slightly poor on the technical side but this is a very minor flaw. The music is pleasant to the ears but the use of it could have been toned down for more effect. The acting is very stagy. Marlon Brando fails to convince. Depp isn't bad but this is nowhere near any of his best works. There is good chemistry between him and Elpidia Carrillo. He has chosen a difficult story to direct but he does succeed in a few parts. He tries to use subtlety but ends up doing too much of it and as a result it's ineffective. Perhaps it would have been a wiser choice to direct something a little lighter and simpler.