For anyone who's followed Johnny Depp's career it was pretty interesting to watch his first movie as a film director. The story he chose dealt with an Indian-Mexican-whatever (it's not very precise) that's gonna make a big sacrifice for his family. What kind of sacrifice? Well, you'll have to watch "The Brave" to know it, 'cause thats the movie's main secret. They're poor, they live in a place that looks like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre farm... Everything's so tough. One of Depp's biggest mistakes was not to give a normal personality to any of the characters. They're all so eccentric, they're all freaks, and that makes the story a little bit unbelievable. He shouldn't had played the main character, because he looks more like a "cock-rocker" than like a wretched Indian native. Besides, the script has no rhythm at all, and it's quite irregular.

In short: "The brave" is not as bad as all the critics think, and we have to thank Depp for trying to make a different cinema, so influenced by his friends Jarmusch or Kusturica. But he's not Jarmusch, he's a great actor, not a director. Anyway, this was his first try... Let's give him a break.

*My rate: 5/10

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.