A make-shift village - more accurately, an inhabited rubbish dump - in the dust-blown margins of California is home to Raphael (Johnny Depp) and his impoverished family. Scavenging is survival, but Raphael is determined to give his kin a better life. Desperate for work, he meets a man who offers a chink of light at a price: Raphael's death.
The prime mover in this Luciferian business deal is Marlon Brando's McCarthy. The means of execution: a snuff movie. With seven days left to live, Raphael uses his fee to earn the respect of his family and friends, and provide for their future.
The Brave is based on the novel of the same name by Gregory McDonald, the thriller writer behind Fletch, comedy character in two Chevy Chase vehicles. Underpinning the book's outwardly shocking plot is an uplifting love story laced with a strong sense of the dignity that can emerge from desperate circumstances. It was these elements in the screenplay - co-written by Johnny Depp, his brother DP Depp and Paul McCudden - that impressed producer Carroll Kemp: 'I think it is the most unexpected love story that I've seen in a long time. It's about how a man comes to life again and learns to love.'
The beginnings of the picture were almost its end thanks to Aziz Ghazal - director of Before and After (1983) - who optioned the story from McDonald. In December 1993, Ghazal killed his ex-wife and daughter before shooting himself. Despite the tragedy, producers Charles Evans, Jr and Carroll Kemp at Acappella Pictures stuck with the project, and with Johnny Depp lined up to make his directorial debut, it was left to Majestic Films to come up with the money. Principal photography on the three month shoot began in the Californian desert, August 1996.
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman - Indian activist, folk singer and a face familiar to anyone who has seen Dances with Wolves - was required to do more than play the part of Papa for Depp. 'I had Floyd perform a sunrise ceremony,' remembers Depp, 'to cleanse the film of its history and its past and to give us a good send off.' Cast and crew sat in a circle at sunrise, and later at the end of the day's shoot on Red Mountain, to bless the film.
A display of empathy with American Indian tradition could not have failed to strike a chord with Marlon Brando, the man who sent Sasheen Littlefeather to collect his Oscar for The Godfather in 1973. Depp, seen by many as the modern Hollywood rebel, had acted with Brando on Don Juan DeMarco. The common ground between the two is not hard to find. "He did not have to play the rebel," recalled Depp. 'Man, he was the rebel. From my first memories, he has been my biggest hero.'
Clint Eastwood had Don Siegel as mentor. Depp has Brando: 'For Marlon to come in and do this part for me was one of the greatest gifts that I've ever been given in my life. He was so insightful, so helpful to me as a friend, as an actor, and as a director.'
The core of the controversial plot, and the eventual tone of the picture, warranted serious consideration. 'The idea is something I'm fascinated with,' says Depp. 'We say all the time, 'I would kill for my family' or 'I would die for my family.' I always thought of this story as the ultimate sacrifice.' He adds, 'I've never seen a snuff movie, and I didn't want to, so when I made the film I tried to skirt around the idea. It's never really mentioned, but the audience kind of wonders about it.'
Depp's approach to the task, tackled with a level of commitment that forced him to laugh in the face of sleep, was made easier by a high level of freedom. 'It was a truly independent production,' explains executive producer Jeremy Thomas, 'because there were no big film companies involved, and it was moderately-priced - around $7million. It was all very modest, including the fees taken by people: a labour of love.' Mike Hodgkinson
Prod co: Majestic Films and Jeremy Thomas present an Acappella Pictures Production
Prod: Charles Evans, Jr, Carroll Kemp
Dir: Johnny Depp
Scr: Paul McCudden, Johnny Depp, DP Depp
Ph: Vilko Filac
Art Dir: Miljen 'Kreka' Kljakovic
Cos: Lindy Hemming
Ed: Pasquale Buba
Cast: Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando, Marshall Bell, Elpidia Carrillo, Frederic Forrest
Running time:133mins Int Sales: Icon Entertainment International
