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Movie Review - The Brave One (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Neil Jordan |
| Starring: |
Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard |
| Rated: |
R (for strong violence, language and some sexuality) |
| Length: |
119 minutes |
| Genre: |
Crime/Drama/Thriller |
| Tagline: |
How many wrongs to make it right? |
| Studio: |
Warner Bros. |
| Website: |
The Brave One |
| Release: |
September 14, 2007 |
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PLOT
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Erica Bain (Foster) is a radio host with a fairly non-sexy voice and an even less sexy hairdo, but life is good, and she's making plans to marry Sayid from Lost.
Unfortunately, her happiness doesn't last forever, and it all comes crashing down one night when she and Sayid are viciously attacked in the park. Sayid dies, and Erica faces
a long road to recovery.
Erica's wounds begin to heal, but a suffocating fear remains, torturing her every step. The city streets she once loved and innocently roamed now fill her with dread. She
decides to get a gun for protection and it doesn't take long before she finds herself in situations that call on her to quickly defend herself. The gun begins to pay huge
dividends. However, she's in no mood to hang around and take credit.
This leads to stories of an anonymous vigilante doing the job the police seem to be incapable of doing. This doesn't sit well with NYPD detective Terrence Howard, so he
determines to track down this one man army. What will he do when the evidence leads him to unexpected conclusions? Will Erica finally execute her own brand of justice on
those who killed her fiancé? Or will she be stopped - either via Howard or her conscience? Jodie Foster blowing people away ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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"What do I think about the prospect of Jodie Foster as a vigilante? Give me about 10 minutes to stop laughing and I'll get back to ya."
That was my initial assumption upon reading this film's plot synopsis. What do you want me to do, act like I was sold on this idea from the beginning? Nope. I
completely understand that Ms. Foster is considered a good actress, she has two Oscars after all, but nothing about her suggested I could ever be convinced she'd
make a believable kicker of rumpage.
But this ain't your mama's vigilante flick. It's a drama involving a woman thrown into situations where she has a small timeframe to decide how to react and just
how far she's willing to go. When confronted by a couple of thugs on the subway does she have what it takes to pull the trigger and properly defend herself?
Why is she putting herself into these dangerous situations? It's almost as if she's daring trouble to approach her so that you can resolve it herself.
So should society accept her methods? After all, it can be argued that her actions truly are in self-defense, and the idiots she offs deserve absolutely no
sympathy. Sorry, but anybody who holds a knife to a woman's throat and asks her if she's ever been you-know-what by a knife simply does not belong in society,
and I will shed no tears upon his earthly departure.
It's a film that gives you something to think about and discuss afterward. This isn't a Sylvester Stallone vengeance flick where the protagonist spends the
entire runtime making sure bad guys end up dead in creative and fanciful ways. It's more of a character study of one woman's struggle with her fears and how
exactly to handle them. Sure, there are a few moments of bad guys getting capped, and these moments are tense, loud, and in-your-face, but that's not the
film's focus. Foster and Howard are very good in their roles, and their characters and situations are handled realistically enough to make you both sympathize
and question their decisions.
The Brave One isn't for the light-hearted, nor is it for those action fans that are only in the mood for a high body count. It's pace is a little slow,
especially at the beginning, but as it hits its stride it really grabbed my attention and held it. Do I have a need to watch it again? Nah. Does it demand to
be seen on the big screen? Nope. But if you're a Foster fan or if you're interested in a movie's presentation of an atypical way a woman might react to a
brutal tragedy that has been thrust upon her, then this is one to consider once it hits a video shelf near you.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Jodie Foster was in Inside Man with Denzel Washington who is in American Gangster with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Nope. There are "f" bombs, "s" bombs, realistic violence, and minimal Jodie Foster nudity. There's a weird scene where Jodie is wheeled into the hospital after the attack, and the
scene of the doctors caring for her is juxtaposed with a flashback of her having sex with Sayid. It's just strange. Don't be a negligent parent and take your kids to this one.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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What is you is basically what you get.
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THE GIST
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Featuring solid performances by Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard, The Brave One takes a different approach on the vigilante genre - offering more character study rather than
a high body count. Save your money for the rental though as it feels like it'll play better on the small screen.
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