Mentions of death, torture, and suicide
Johnny Depp's next project, Modì, is not his directorial debut, but rather his second film as a director after the poorly received The Brave. Modì will tell the story of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani and focus on two chaotic days in his life while he was in Paris and on the run from the police. The Brave faced controversy not only for its negative reviews but also due to behind-the-scenes tragedies and Depp casting himself as an indigenous person, similar to his later role in The Lone Ranger.
Johnny Depp is set to direct the biographical drama Modì, but contrary to popular belief, Modì isn’t Depp’s directorial debut, but his first movie is pretty difficult to find. For his next project, Johnny Depp is leaving acting behind and focusing only on directing and producing the movie titled Modì, based on the play Modigliani by Dennis McIntyre.
Johnny Depp's next project, Modì, is not his directorial debut, but rather his second film as a director after the poorly received The Brave. Modì will tell the story of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani and focus on two chaotic days in his life while he was in Paris and on the run from the police. The Brave faced controversy not only for its negative reviews but also due to behind-the-scenes tragedies and Depp casting himself as an indigenous person, similar to his later role in The Lone Ranger.
Johnny Depp is set to direct the biographical drama Modì, but contrary to popular belief, Modì isn’t Depp’s directorial debut, but his first movie is pretty difficult to find. For his next project, Johnny Depp is leaving acting behind and focusing only on directing and producing the movie titled Modì, based on the play Modigliani by Dennis McIntyre.
- 11/22/2023
- by Adrienne Tyler
- ScreenRant
Film review: 'The Brave'
Johnny Depp outfits "Faust" in American Indian garb in "The Brave", a Competition entrant so grave and monotonous that only festival cineastes are likely to stay awake throughout.
In this latest example of a movie star dabbling in the auteur, narrative pacing and story structure are scattered to the winds, while showy textures are overused throughout. In short, this "Brave" is all feathery headdress and little else. Well, save for yet another sedentary oddity from Marlon Brando, who plays "Tu-Ra-Lu-Ra-Lu-Ra" on the harmonica for a few bars.
In this contemporary retelling, Depp stars as Raphael, an American Indian who has done time in the joint as well as suffered with alcoholism. Literally throwing the bottle away one day, he decides to turn over a new leaf, to seek out a job and provide for his wife (Elpidia Carrillo) and two young children. Leaving his ramshackle shanty, Raphael takes the bus into town and learns of work in a warehouse. Descending into the bowels of this stony fortress, he meets his future employer, wheelchair-bound loony Mr. McCarthy (Marlon Brando), who explains the nature of the job: For $50,000 in cash, the "worker" will endure an electric chair, tortured as close to death as possible. In essence, anyone who accepts that agreement is not likely to survive.
Raphael makes his pact and heads for home, whereupon he promptly begins to make amends to his family for all his bad ways. Unfortunately, these apologetic scenes are stretched out in redundant detail as the "good" father spends time with each respective member of his family. For good measure, he buys all sorts of stuff, from electric lights to a wide screen, causing his wife and neighbors to fear that he has gone back to his old ways. Other than these reparations, little else propels the drama, with essentially the same scene played over and over again with each respective character. In between, innumerable shots of Raphael walking across the desertscape or, equally as exciting, waiting for the bus, provide punctuation.
The projector malfunctioned during the press screening, causing a couple minutes of darkness. If a marketing firm had wired the audience, it is unlikely they would have discovered any discernible pulse-rate difference during the blackout than when the film was actually proceeding.
While one usually has to attend an Eric Rohmer retrospective to experience such tedium, Depp seems to have learned from other greats as well. Not since the early, nastiest days of Bunuel have group and crowd compositions featured such an assortment of deranged and deformed-looking individuals, as if a festival of cretins was up and running.
Technically, one marvels at cinematographer Vilko Filac's luminous skyscapes, but unfortunately Depp's over-reliance on such imagery lessens the impact. Iggy Pop's score brings an apt, hollowed-out texture to the proceedings.
THE BRAVE
In Competition
Majestic Films
And Jeremy Thomas present
An Acappella Pictures Production
A film by Johnny Depp
Producers Charles Evans Jr., Carroll Kemp
Director Johnny Depp
Screenwriters Paul McCudden,
Johnny Depp, D.P. Depp
Based on the novel by Gregory McDonald
Exec producer Jeremy Thomas
Dir. of photography Vilko Filac
Production designer Miljen Kljakovic
Editor Pasquale Buba
Music Iggy Pop
Costume designer Lindy Hemming
Cast:
Raphael Johnny Depp
Mr. McCatrthy Marlon Brando
Larry Marshall Bell
Rita Elpidia Carrillo
Father Stratton Clarence Williams III
Frankie Cody Lightning
Lou Jr. Max Perlich
Lou Sr. Frederic Forrest
Running time --123 minutes
No MPAA rating...
In this latest example of a movie star dabbling in the auteur, narrative pacing and story structure are scattered to the winds, while showy textures are overused throughout. In short, this "Brave" is all feathery headdress and little else. Well, save for yet another sedentary oddity from Marlon Brando, who plays "Tu-Ra-Lu-Ra-Lu-Ra" on the harmonica for a few bars.
In this contemporary retelling, Depp stars as Raphael, an American Indian who has done time in the joint as well as suffered with alcoholism. Literally throwing the bottle away one day, he decides to turn over a new leaf, to seek out a job and provide for his wife (Elpidia Carrillo) and two young children. Leaving his ramshackle shanty, Raphael takes the bus into town and learns of work in a warehouse. Descending into the bowels of this stony fortress, he meets his future employer, wheelchair-bound loony Mr. McCarthy (Marlon Brando), who explains the nature of the job: For $50,000 in cash, the "worker" will endure an electric chair, tortured as close to death as possible. In essence, anyone who accepts that agreement is not likely to survive.
Raphael makes his pact and heads for home, whereupon he promptly begins to make amends to his family for all his bad ways. Unfortunately, these apologetic scenes are stretched out in redundant detail as the "good" father spends time with each respective member of his family. For good measure, he buys all sorts of stuff, from electric lights to a wide screen, causing his wife and neighbors to fear that he has gone back to his old ways. Other than these reparations, little else propels the drama, with essentially the same scene played over and over again with each respective character. In between, innumerable shots of Raphael walking across the desertscape or, equally as exciting, waiting for the bus, provide punctuation.
The projector malfunctioned during the press screening, causing a couple minutes of darkness. If a marketing firm had wired the audience, it is unlikely they would have discovered any discernible pulse-rate difference during the blackout than when the film was actually proceeding.
While one usually has to attend an Eric Rohmer retrospective to experience such tedium, Depp seems to have learned from other greats as well. Not since the early, nastiest days of Bunuel have group and crowd compositions featured such an assortment of deranged and deformed-looking individuals, as if a festival of cretins was up and running.
Technically, one marvels at cinematographer Vilko Filac's luminous skyscapes, but unfortunately Depp's over-reliance on such imagery lessens the impact. Iggy Pop's score brings an apt, hollowed-out texture to the proceedings.
THE BRAVE
In Competition
Majestic Films
And Jeremy Thomas present
An Acappella Pictures Production
A film by Johnny Depp
Producers Charles Evans Jr., Carroll Kemp
Director Johnny Depp
Screenwriters Paul McCudden,
Johnny Depp, D.P. Depp
Based on the novel by Gregory McDonald
Exec producer Jeremy Thomas
Dir. of photography Vilko Filac
Production designer Miljen Kljakovic
Editor Pasquale Buba
Music Iggy Pop
Costume designer Lindy Hemming
Cast:
Raphael Johnny Depp
Mr. McCatrthy Marlon Brando
Larry Marshall Bell
Rita Elpidia Carrillo
Father Stratton Clarence Williams III
Frankie Cody Lightning
Lou Jr. Max Perlich
Lou Sr. Frederic Forrest
Running time --123 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 5/12/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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