When this came on Tasmanian television, (oh yes) I did have some misgivings about staying up late to watch it. Then the "directed by Johnny Depp" came on and I thought....boy if Brando wasn't in this I am off to bed. But I sat up, watched it, and it one of those films that stays with you. The horror and the torture come later, and it is awful to think of this brave young man subjecting himself to these monsters, but that is the lure of the story I guess. Perfect casting by Depp, cant argue with the direction or the story. It's bleak but somehow beautiful at the same time. Yes it shows the best and worst of humanity. Not something to watch with the family on a movie night, but it does deserve an audience...you will not enjoy it but you will remember it.

Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to his first, and to date, only directorial effort The Brave (1997)

An unemployed alcoholic Native American Indian (Depp) lives on a trailer park with his wife and two children. Convinced that he has nothing to offer this world, he agrees to be tortured to death in a snuff movie in return for $50,000. He is given one week before he must make the movie.

Some of Depp's work is too sad or strange to watch often, but every movie in his unique filmography (at least at this point) deserves to be seen at least once. I don't think this is an easy watch, the first line of dialogue is not spoken until ten minutes into the film.

It's a slow mover, and truthfully it could have lost about 30 minutes and lost none of the impact. Depp is really good here. No surprise as he was always great. Thankfully Brando's screen time is limited and Luis Guzmàn pops up too.

I can see why some people will not like it, and complain nothing happens. You will probably not enjoy it. But it will certainly stay with you!!

Depp was so upset at negative reviews by American critics attending an otherwise successful screening at the Cannes Film Festival. He refused to release the film in the United States.

As an artist Johnny Depp has long been known for having occasionally quirky film projects, some have gotten good critical acclaim and some have even gained great public acclaim, the Pirates Of The Caribbean series have had enormous commercial success. But with The Brave he came up a cropper as the film comes across as terribly self indulgent.

It was an interesting idea, a man so desperate and feeling so useless and alienated from society that the best thing he can do for himself is offer his body for sacrifice. Now there isn't an insurance company in the world who would finance something like what Depp has in mind. He needs some up front money.

Which comes in the large form of Marlon Brando who in a 15 minute scene with Depp offers $50,000.00 in cash to be the victim in a snuff film. Now that's something that requires a lot of up front money.

After which Depp starts to spread it around among friends and family and the best part of the film is his re-creation of a miniature Disneyland type park in the trailer park where his American Indian family reside. One of his relatives Luis Guzman suspects that Depp's new found largess comes from some criminal activity. Let's just say that Guzman forces many issues.

The setting of the American Indian reservation was a good choice as the poverty in many of those reservations is a well documented fact. No place better than that could show desperation and lack of options. Depp has a minor criminal record. I've seen how that has locked people out from jobs who aren't Indians.

Sad to say that Johnny Depp overplayed this film though. It goes down in his work legacy as a noble experiment that sadly misfired.