The Brave
A desperate Native American ex-convict accepts an appalling offer to save his family, entering a stark confrontation with poverty, exploitation, and death.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- brooding
- disturbing
- serious film night
- arthouse viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as an implausible, self-serious, and tediously slow drama despite its ambitious subject matter.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Raphael's trailer-park family lacks economic security, making the proposed snuff-film payment appear like their only escape.
Raphael must decide whether to become the victim of a filmed killing in exchange for money for his family.
The impoverished American setting, isolated characters, and fatalistic confrontation with violence support its neo-western register.
The promised compensation is the plot-driving object that draws Raphael toward the snuff-film arrangement.
Films like The Brave, and why
The Indian Runner
socially marginalized protagonist, bleak moral drama, and neo-western atmosphere
The Mosquito Coast
brooding character study centered on poverty, alienation, and difficult moral choices
Monster's Ball
grim social realism, family hardship, and a protagonist confronting destructive violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Johnny Depp
- Release Date
- 1997-07-30
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (210)
Cast
- Johnny Depp
- Marshall Bell
- Elpidia Carrillo
- Marlon Brando
- Frederic Forrest
- Clarence Williams III
- Max Perlich
- Luis Guzmán
- Cody Lightning
- Nicole Mancera
Common questions
- What is The Brave about?
- A desperate Native American ex-convict accepts an appalling offer to save his family, entering a stark confrontation with poverty, exploitation, and death.
- What is The Brave like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Brave as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Brave violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Brave as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Brave?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as an implausible, self-serious, and tediously slow drama despite its ambitious subject matter.
- Which films are like The Brave?
- Films with a similar feel include The Indian Runner, The Mosquito Coast, and Monster's Ball.
- How long is The Brave?
- The Brave runs 123 minutes.
