What a great concept...and what a mediocre movie showcasing it. Johnny Depp plays a man who agrees to be tortured and murdered for a $50,000 settlement to his family. I suppose I should've been aware of it sooner, but about halfway through I knew the movie would show little, if any, of the actual torture/murder (and I was right). Unfortunately, "The Brave" suffers from an overlong running time and a plodding pace, as well as unnecessary bursts of comic relief from a caricatured supporting cast. Other characterizations are erratic and underdeveloped. The best scenes belong to Marlon Brando (as the wheelchair-bound man who "hires" Depp) and Clearance Williams III (who shares a very powerful confessional scene with Depp), both of whom are given precious little screen time. "The Brave" is a sometimes-compelling morality play with a brooding mood, yet unbalanced and seldom rising above average.
5/10
5/10