Given that "The Brave" was based on a novel with a fascinating but disturbing concept, it could and should have been an excellent movie. Depp's direction is competent, the acting overall is good, but the film is overlong and poorly structured. The opening sequences give no hint whatever of what is to follow, and even the Brando character's payment of $50,000 in cash tells the viewer little. Is Depp supposed to come back in a week and carry out a contract killing? Who knows? Who cares? The closure was well handled, and the film would have been weakened if it had gone on to show the main character's suffering and death. But the film would have benefited from a brief glimpse at the very start, or at least an intimation, of what would happen at the end. It's not surprising that many viewers found the film boring. The pace is desperately slow, and much of the film has one itching to press the fast-forward button.
