IMDb > The Brave (1997)
The Brave
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Brave (1997) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   3,351 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Johnny Depp
Writers:
Gregory McDonald (novel)
Paul McCudden (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Brave on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 July 1997 (France) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
A down-on-his-luck American Indian recently released from jail is offered the chance to "star" as the victim of a snuff film... more | add synopsis
Awards:
2 nominations more
User Comments:
slow, sad film about poverty and braveness; respectable first-time directing work by Depp more (60 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Johnny Depp ... Raphael

Marlon Brando ... McCarthy

Marshall Bell ... Larry
Elpidia Carrillo ... Rita

Frederic Forrest ... Lou Sr.
Clarence Williams III ... Father Stratton

Max Perlich ... Lou Jr.

Luis Guzmán ... Luis
Cody Lightning ... Frankie
Nicole Mancera ... Marta
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman ... Papa
Pepe Serna ... Alessandro
Lupe Ontiveros ... Maria

Alexis Cruz ... Heyman
Chuck E. Weiss ... Whizzy
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
123 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | South Korea:18 | France:U (with warning) | UK:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Johnny Depp was deeply upset at the negative reviews received from the American critics attending an otherwise successful screening at the Cannes Film Festival. As a result he has refused to show the film in the United States. more
Quotes:
Larry: Hey, listen to this. The other day I was driving down the highway, had the air-conditioner on, smoking my stogies, listening to some tunes, and this big fat crow lands on a billboard. Biggest, fattest crow I ever saw in my life. And I fix on him, and he dropped dead - boom, in the sand. Damndest thing I ever saw. Kind of made me sick. In fact, it made me poop. It made me poop my pants. It was about a four-inch, bell-shaped fece, very hard, very firm. Things haven't been going too good for me. more
Movie Connections:
References "The Lone Ranger" (1949) more
Soundtrack:
La Montuna Torpe more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
23 out of 29 people found the following comment useful.
slow, sad film about poverty and braveness; respectable first-time directing work by Depp, 17 February 2005
6/10
Author: CryFi from Lansingburgh, New York, USA

I had read an article in a waiting room Entertainment Weekly while getting a punctured tire repaired, an article about unreleased (or little-released) films and albums by big-name directors and artists. An internet search indicates this was "Buried Treasure" by Tim Carvell in issue # 795, December 3, 2004. One of them was this film, unreleased in the US, but available on DVD in the UK. Happily I own a region-free player that does PAL-NTSC conversion (I wish they would abolish regional encoding!), and the DVD on the UK Amazon site was relatively cheap, so I ordered it.

I'm surprised to see that the author of the novel this film was adapted from was the author of the Fletch series! This is entirely different.

Johnny Depp plays a native American living with his wife, son, and daughter in a small trailer in a shantytown next to a garbage dump in the desert. Days seem to be spent mostly sleeping. He goes to town to apply for a job a man in a bar told him about. He goes to a pretty shady place, and we learn what the job is (reading the DVD box would tell you the same thing): to be tortured and killed (presumably on film) for $50,000. He's given some money up front (at least a couple thousand, not sure how much), and a week before he has to come back to do the job. Evidently in the book he's only offered $30,000 and given $200 up front!

He goes back home, and doesn't do much initially, but then tries bonding more with his family, who he'd grown apart from while drinking. He spends the money on things that delight his kids, but seem pretty frivolous. His wife is worried he's robbed a store or done something else that will get him put in jail again. He hopes the money will help his family move up in life, and it comes at an opportune time, since the shantytown is due to be demolished.

It's a bit longer than I think it need be, about two hours. However, it is well directed. I think Johnny Depp did a good job with it.

Marlon Brando's role is pretty small. He'd worked with Depp before in Don Juan DeMarco (1995), quite a different movie than this one! Iggy Pop, who worked on the soundtrack has a short cameo as a man at a fiesta eating a giant drumstick.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (60 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Brave (1997)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Question about the priest teddybear_4ever_19
Is this film posted online? fistjedi
Book ashscousin
this is awful dogstab
Where can I see this? hourman78
Korean dvd version is missing 26 minutes meenathesomali
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Custer's Last Stand The Business of Fancydancing Gone with the Wind The Good Earth Skins
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.