The Brave One (2007)

The Brave One (2007): Dir: Neil Jordan / Cast: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Nicky Katt, Mary Steenburgen: Why they titled this film as such is a puzzle. There is nothing brave about what Erika Bain does here. She is a radio personality whose fiancée is killed during a mugging and her purchases of an illegal gun and begins to pick off muggers, pimps and general outcasts. Total recycled without a shred of originality. Charles Bronson practically pioneered this plot with Death Wish, but Zoe Tamerlis made for a much more fetching heroine in Ms. 45. This is the total opposite of the storytelling that worked so well in those films. Director Neil Jordan does his best but this is a far cry from the originality of his previous film Breakfast On Pluto. Jodie Foster is one of the finest actresses of her generation but as Bain she is reduced too a formula plot where contrivances occur almost by the second. Terrence Howard plays a police detective who will end up turning a blind eye because we're called to view her as a symbol of good despite her questionable sense of direction. Naveen Andrews as Foster's fiancée isn't very broad, and Nicky Katt as Howard's partner is wasted. Contrived bullshit happens once a robbery and murder occur right after Bain purchases a gun. With that said, this is far beneath Jordan and Foster who both must brave the reduction. Score: 2 / 10

I liked this one a lot. Its a revenge thriller or remake I suppose of the Charles Bronson's Death Wish series of the 70's. Jodie Foster takes the lead here and I enjoyed seeing a woman in the role of vigilante, refusing to be a victim and fighting back.Foster can be a bit much at times but she was perfect for this role setting out on a mission of revenge after a brutal attack (it's really rough) leaves her fiancé dead and 'Erica' unable to move past the tragedy. Eventually she buys a gun and begins prowling the city streets at night to track down the men she holds responsible. Foster does a good job here with the conflicted emotions and I have to admit to yelling "yes" a couple times after she smoked one of the bad guys.I also really enjoyed Terence Howard's detective character, the cat and mouse game between him and Foster is well done and suspenseful. Naveen Andrews has a small role here as the boyfriend, and the ending with the dog, jeez for some reason that almost had me in tears. It's the dogs that seem to get me every time. 03.13

This is a movie where criminals and street thugs get more than they bargained for when radio hostess Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) buys a gun and turns into a vigilante after her fiancé was brutally attacked in the New York streets.Foster gave a credible performance as Bain, mixing in drama and her hunger for revenge, but generating sympathy from the audience after the very unfortunate incident her character experiences in the film. This makes you root for her throughout the movie as she downs scumbag criminals left and right - before law enforcement could intervene.Caught in the fray is Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard), where he has to choose between arresting Bain for her activities or give in to her sympathetic plight. He gives the movie an enticing subplot and generates enough intrigue for the audience, letting them wonder which way he will choose.The script and plot are well-paced, with a dark but riveting atmosphere that is sure to keep the audience engaged. There are much disturbing scenes as well, and is certainly not a movie for everyone (I myself cringed a few times). But, it's still a riveting film nonetheless, with a satisfying "good guy vs. bad guy" element.Grade B

The day that DJ Erica Bain selects wedding invitations, her fiancé is murdered and she brutally assaulted while walking their dog in Central Park. Upon discharge from hospital, she buys a handgun. When she witnesses a shooting in a convenience store and is chased by the killer, she kills in self-defence but flees. She then walks the night streets as a vigilante, a stranger to herself. Mercer, a detective, becomes her friend as he hunts for the killer, but also begins to suspect that she is on a vengeance quest.....Its a weird movie to be directed by Jordan, as it's not anything new or special, especially when you know he made masterpieces like Company Of Wolves, and The Crying Game.The same can be said for Foster, it's basically an exploitation movie. The writer has just seen Winners Dirty Weekend and Death Wish, took out the comedy from the former and made it more gritty.Its watchable though, seeing Foster walk the streets and killing people doing the wrong thing, but you'll have a nasty sense of déjà Vu throughout.Howard adds some acting chops to rival Fosters, but he does just spend the majority of the movie giving Foster suspicious looks and purposely staying one step behind.A much better revenge film 'Death Sentence' was released around the same time, and ironically the book was a sequel to Death Wish.