The one movie Johnny Depp directed and then banned from release in America: “It just about ripped me to shreds”
Rising to fame and popularity in the 1990s alongside such other rising stars as Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp is a beloved actor and Hollywood heartthrob, best known for his wacky role of Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean series.
Perhaps what sets him apart is that Depp has always felt slightly aggrieved to be considered a movie star. More concerned with being an actor than a star, Depp seems only to pick up blockbuster roles too allow him to do whatever weird role his heart desires that week. For a while, he might have been considered one of the best. Yet, while his skills as a performer are well known, rarely do people discuss his directorial efforts, largely because most of them are dreadful.
Mostly helming music videos or feature-length showcases of his own band, Depp’s filmmaking exploits go back to the end of the 1980s, when he was still but a glimmer in the eye of Hollywood. Having worked with such musicians as Shane MacGowan and Vanessa Paradis, Depp’s big movie break came in 1997 when he sat in the director’s chair for The Brave, a film co-written by him, Paul McCudden and D.P. Depp, the actor’s brother.
Based on the book of the same name by Gregory McDonald, The Brave tells the story of a Native American who takes a role in a snuff film after coming out of prison, with the resulting payment having the potential of saving his family from poverty. Depp stars in the leading role alongside, rather surprisingly, the great Marlon Brando, who was not against starring in weird movies during the ‘90s – *cough* The Island of Dr. Moreau *cough*.
Depp only took the reins of the movie after an especially bizarre event, however, taking over from Aziz Ghazal, who was previously attached to the project, after he killed his wife and daughter before later committing suicide. Touchstone Pictures suspended production, but when it was picked back up years later, they were somehow able to convince Depp to direct, rewrite and produce the cursed project.
“I felt driven to do this movie,” Depp told The La Times back in 1997, “This was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. It just about ripped me to shreds”. The deconstruction of a performance is one thing. After all, an actor can blame all types of things for the reason they didn’t quite pop on screen. It’s a handy screen to provide some safety from the savagery of a critic. But as a director, it is impossible to ignore.
Being completely destroyed by reviews is par for the course for filmmakers, so it is perhaps not so surprising that Depp, an admitted novice in the area, wasn’t quite as comfortable. In retaliation to the negative reviews of the movie, Depp added: “I couldn’t care less…I didn’t make this film to entertain people. I’m not an entertainer…I hope people really love it or really hate it”.
Although Depp claimed not to care about the negative reviews, he eventually felt the pain of the press and the public, with most write-ups being scathing, to say the least. In fact, so harsh was the reception that Depp decided not to give the film a wide release in the USA, never being released in theatres while never getting a home release either, making it almost impossible to watch the movie today.
Take a look at the original trailer for the movie below.
