Johnny Depp's First and Last Directorial Attempt Was So Messy US Refused to Release It
Depp's movie might be highly controversial but also raises deep questions about life and death.
It often happens in modern cinema that a popular actor decides to try his hand at directing. Sometimes such attempts are successful, sometimes not, because directing a movie is not the same as acting in it.
Sometimes such an attempt becomes the first and the last for the actor, and that's exactly what happened to Johnny Depp.
In 1997, Johnny Depp decided that he had enough experience in acting to try to make his own movie.
The Brave, based on the novel of the same name by Gregory McDonald, is currently Johnny Depp's first and last work as a director, with the exception of some clips he shot for his ex-wife singer Vanessa Paradis.
The plot of the movie is quite dark. Unemployed Raphael is looking for work to support his family, who live in a junkyard near the city.
He catches the eye of a movie producer who wants to film a snuff – real murder, and offers him a deal: a brutal death for 50 thousand dollars.
The character is given only one week after receiving the money. He continues his normal life without touching the producer's advance but soon he realizes that there is no going back.
The movie ends with Raphael driving into the city and arriving at an abandoned factory, where he is expected and where the camera will closely follow his slow death.
The character's desperation and fearlessness make the final minutes of the movie truly powerful.
The role of Raphael was played by Johnny Depp himself, and the role of the producer of the deadly movie went to Marlon Brando. The Brave was presented at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or.
The movie did not win the award, and the critics panned The Brave so much that it was decided not to release it in theaters.
Despite the fact that critics did not like the film, to say the least, viewers were more appreciative – The Brave has a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie tells about the extreme cruelty that sometimes manifests itself in a person, about the devaluation of human life, the loss and gain of its meaning, about despair and self-sacrifice.
And if you are a fan of Johnny Depp and like heavy movies, then it is quite possible that The Brave will even become one of your favorites.