The Brave One Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
How many wrongs to make it right?
A woman struggles to recover from a brutal attack by setting out on a mission for revenge.
| Jodie Foster | Erica Bain |
| Terrence Howard | Detective Mercer |
| Nicky Katt | Detective Vitale |
| Naveen Andrews | David Kirmani |
| Mary Steenburgen | Carol |
| Ene Oloja | Josai |
| Luis Da Silva Jr. | Lee |
| Blaze Foster | Cash |
| Rafael Sardina | Reed |
| Jane Adams | Nicole |
| Gordon MacDonald | Murrow |
| Zöe Kravitz | Chloe |
| John Magaro | Ethan |
| Victor Colicchio | Cutler |
| Jermel Howard | Thug on Subway #1 |
| Neil Jordan |
7.00 out of 10 (5366 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Death Wish Remade
posted on 14 Aug 2009This is basically a highbrow remake of Death Wish, the popular revenge film from the mid-70s. Jodie Foster plays a woman who is attacked in Central Park with her fiancé, who doesn't survive the attack. Jodie does, and you can guess the rest from there.In scene after scene, as Jodie goes out into the night to deliberately expose herself to danger, we're reminded of Death Wish, and there's one scene which is an obvious allusion to Taxi Driver. The violence is more realistic and the film is much less hysterical; Death Wish featured almost cartoonish thugs and was bluntly manipulative.The Brave One is entertaining largely because of another bravura performance from Jodie Foster, who has to be one of the finest actresses of her generation. Unlike Charles Bronson, she has inner conflicts about what she is doing, and as far as the script will allow, she portrays this marvelously.However, the film cops out at the end in a very distressing manner. In Death Wish, the police did their job, even though they sympathized with Bronson to some extent. They tracked down Bronson and persuaded him to leave town, leaving the ending ambiguous (and open for innumerable repulsive sequels). In The Brave One, the cop helps Foster get away with murder and does nothing. The film seems to be telling us that it's OK to go get revenge, no one will be hurt except the bad guys, and there are no real consequences.Frankly, I'm tired of films that portray cops as being eager to throw the law out the window whenever it suits them. I know that corrupt and incompetent cops exist, but I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of police officers believe in upholding the law and are prepared to make the harder choice of bringing a criminal to justice, even if at some level they sympathize with what that perpetrator is doing.Even Dirty Harry respected the law to a degree. Yes, he was the cop who made his own rules, but he still believed in the system. In Magnum Force he was encouraged by his supervisor to join a death squad, and he refused. Harry was outraged by corruption and injustice, but he was still, ultimately, a law-abiding cop.Films like The Brave One encourage people to think that cops are morally compromised and that there are simple solutions to complex problems. Even the revenge fantasies of the 70s pulled their punches a bit; this film does not.
a flawed movie (plot details and spoilers mentioned)
posted on 10 Aug 2009Jodie Foster is one of the best actresses in movies today. But sometimes her choices are questionable. And sad to say, THE BRAVE ONE falls into this category.A New York radio host is brutally assaulted and left for dead, along with her fiancé after a walk in a park. He dies as a result of his injuries. As Erica (Foster) recovers from her injuries, her fear of what happened makes her buy a gun for protection, but while in a small store, a man enters killing a woman. In her fear, Erica pulls her gun and kills him. From there, she begins a vigilante killing spree, while at the same time drawing closer to Detective Mercer (Terence Howard) as he begins to investigate the killings....Foster dominates the movie, as you'd expect. On screen for almost the entire movie, she carries it easily, convincing as a terrified victim of crime not wanting to go outside, to gun-toting killer. Howard gives strong support as Mercer, showing a cop dedicated to his job, yet at times frustrated by the law. Sadly the rest of the cast don't really register.Neil Jordan, directs well, handling the action comfortably. However, the fault with this movie, lies with the script.The script fails to make Erica a convincing character, despite Foster's best efforts. As a victim of crime, the character works, but her conversion to vigilante happens too easily to convince. For example, in one scene we see her buying a gun. The next she's a crack shot. Course it could be something that was edited out, but as I said, it could be bad writing.The bond that develops between Mercer and Erica does convince, but then a character development (lifted indirectly from Eastwoods' Dirty Harry movie SUDDEN IMPACT) spoils the movie. Mercer has been portrayed through-out as a good honest cop doing his best, so for him to then aid Erica at the movie climax disappoints.The other problem, and it is a major flaw, is the mood of the piece.The film tries to keep the audience sympathy with Erica through-out but it never really shows Erica feeling guilt or haunted by what she's doing, resulting in a lack of sympathy instead. Her turn to killer, especially at the movie climax, with a couple of one-liners that would have suited Arnie and co seem lifted from another movie. A less action packed ending would have worked better.The movie also tries to elevate itself away from the likes of Death Wish and come over as a more worthy piece, but it has all the hallmarks of those movies, despite Foster, Howard and Jordan trying their best. It's not a bad movie. Simply a badly written one.
Only in New York
posted on 08 Aug 2009The saddest part of this story is the only time she actually committed any crime was when she shot the guys at the end. The whole story was nothing more than a person executing their right to defend himself using deadly force.Now, in New York-as it would be figuring the moron Rudy Gulliani (or however you spell it) pretty much snubbed the constitution-made it seem as though with the types of anti-Constitution laws they have in place she was a criminal.The only thing she did wrong was leave the scene without reporting it to police.It has always struck me funny that cities tried to file lawsuits against gun companies for people getting shot by criminals, yet citizens who have a constitutional right to carry a firearm do not file charges against a city whose laws create a dangerous situation for them. Why has a group of gun advocates in NYC not filed a class action lawsuit against the city for violating their second amendment right to bear arms? If you go to a gun store, they want you to register(unconstitutional) and wait 30 days (unconstitutional) and risk your life in the meantime while some criminal can go buy one in 5 minutes and use it to kill your unarmed a** later that night, whose side is the law on? Now granted-this girl had mental problems and the story was far fetched in that nobody comes across that many life threatening situations in their lifetime, let alone the period of time they portrayed in this movie, but the fact remains, this film distorts a good message here. She was the victim in ALL those cases, she had a right to defend herself.Then all these comparisons of her actions to the death penalty, or learning the lessons of Iraq. Revenge? This is not a revenge film, it is a sad commentary to what has happened to our country and our great constitution.IN contrast though, come to Texas and pull a knife on someone, (small town if you please, the big cities are full of people from up north that feel like criminals if they carry a gun-except for the crimnals, they are armed to the teeth) a few minutes later the cops will show up, take a report, give the Texan his gun back (minus one bullet) and haul away the dead guy with the knife. It's real simple.I know I am being very political but this story gives the wrong message, this girl is not a criminal. If she had the fortitude to get the gun BEFORE her fiancé got murdered, she wouldn't have gone loopy and he would be alive.
Death Wish For The Thinking Woman
posted on 08 Aug 2009Jodie Foster is a bit like the modern version of Barbara Stanwyck or one of those other powerful female stars that took the role of the woman in society into actions and attitudes that had been the male prerogative since time immemorial. Jodie's Erica carries the movie and a gun in a succession of common places that become never seen before thanks to the commitment of the star. She is fantastic and I suspect Jodie Foster will use her age as an allied so there is a lot to be looking forward to. If I had a wish, for me as an spectator and huge fan of Jodie Foster, will be for her to continue working with directors that allow her many different faces to come out fully formed because that's a guarantee that it will startle us. Neil Jordan was a great idea and the results are there on the screen for everyone to see. A vigilante yes, but Jodie Foster style which means, like no other. I would like to see her do a movie with Fred Schepsi ("Plenty" "A Cry In The Dark") because the characters in Schepsi movies are memorable, all of them, always) With Martin Donovan ("Apartment Zero" and his new stunning "K.Il Bandito") because I know the man and I've witnessed the magic communion he establishes with his actors and Donovan loves to move into the faces of his actors/characters in the most powerful and loving way. With François Ozon (Swiming Pool, 8 Women) because of his understanding and commitment to the female character, never superficial. I can name others of course but I think I already made my point. I love Jodie Foster and I hope to be around when she's 70 because I have the feeling we ain't seen nothing yet.
The Brave One
posted on 08 Aug 2009Jodie Foster is like the "wild card" of Hollywood. She does not appear in the news for DUIs or sex scandals. She does not let her life be dissected by tabloids. She is 45, but still lands lead roles in major films despite Hollywood's obsession with youth. She generally makes one movie per year. So, when I saw her name appearing on posters and in trailers I was excited. I could not help but anticipate what film she would have picked after her massive hit Flightplan. After seeing The Brave One I felt she picked bravely, yet wisely.The films opens with the crisp, clear voice of Foster narrating against montage of random shots of New York city, and we learn that she has her own radio show about New York. When she and her fiancé are brutally mugged while taking an evening walk in a park, she is left in a come for three weeks, while her fiancé is buried. When she finally does wake up from the coma and learns what has happened she descends into a deep, hopeless depression. Not recovering from the shock of the horrible attack she buys a gun for protection, but a trip to a convenience store has her already using it for the first time. After this brief incident she starts walking the streets at night to fight her insomnia and deal with the terrifying nightmares she has. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with the detective (played by Terence Howard) investigating her killings. As their relationship builds so does the suspense, which all comes to thundering stop in the final fight. Playing a woman who is in an impossible dilemma once again, Foster manages to bring something different to her role escaping a typecast. This time she delves into the psych of her character with a brooding energy. Terrence Howard (Crash, Pride) playing the detective does very well in his role. My only complaint with the film was the ending. It seemed that it was possibly a studio re-cut, because it had that feeling of trying to satisfy rather than braving the outrage of audiences that might have come had the ending been different. Despite that this was a very stirring, powerful film. I was greatly relieved as I watched it that it did not turn into a stylish action film with a death toll to rival Braveheart's battles, but dealt more with the reasons someone might turn to violence after being effected so cruelly by it. I also liked how it did not preach to us about our societies infatuation with violence, nor did it take a stand about whether the choices this woman made were right or wrong, but instead left it up for us to be the judge and decide. It almost leaves you wondering what you would have done.
A great movie!
posted on 04 Aug 2009This is my type of movie, where you get even with life's trash! I loved it! You know what really makes me laugh is people thinking taking the law in your own hands is bad! The police cannot be there 24-7 to protect you and when it comes time to defend yourself either you will be a survivor or a statistic! Just read the papers, everyday some one is killed by criminals "hence the word CRIMINAL doesn't follow the laws" so remember that when ever the politicians want to outlaw your firearms to make us safer,YEAH right! Enjoy the movie because I give it a 10! And we need more of these type of movies! I recommend buying this DVD.
the tamed one
posted on 31 Jul 2009A standard big city handgunner's revenge thriller a la DEATH WISH, MS .45, etc, with the single oddity that it stars a famously anti-violence control freak named Jodie Foster. Iris plays Travis in this one. Too bad she didn't get a script as good as the one Paul Schrader turned in for De Niro. She didn't get Scorsese either. But she did get Neil Jordan, who, if he never made a TAXI DRIVER, is at least up to an AVIATOR or two. The movie moves, it isn't Jordan who screws it up... but I digress.It's the script, really, that's the problem; or rather, not the script but the ending. The dialog, story and characters, while familiar, don't really go south until the good old Hollywood Covers Its Bets Third Act, which is perhaps the most familiar of the many routine elements featured here. See, what happens is, a movie gets made - good, bad, or indifferent. Then the studio previews the movie out in Azusa, and the ending doesn't test well. The audience fills out little cards that say "gee, I didn't want to see Miss Foster go to jail" and "those guys had it coming; I wish she got away." So the studio yanks the movie from its release lineup and makes the principal actors - and if they're lucky, the original writers and director - reshoot the ending with some approximation of what they think the audience would rather see.When this has happened, there are a couple of ways you can tell. For instance, a character makes a sudden departure from his former moral code, or reneges on a promise for reasons unexplainable by thematic or plot-based means. Or maybe the end looks like another director shot it, or another writer wrote it - the continuity of style is broken. Sometimes the actors' hair or degree of physical conditioning changes between one shot and another. All of this seems to occur in the final ten minutes of THE BRAVE ONE, reducing a decent enough crime drama to a barely tolerable shoot-em-up.I'd love to hear that I'm wrong about this one. If anybody was in on the production and can tell me that this was the original ending, please do. But I'd bet you five bucks I'm right. For 90 minutes the movie frowns on the protagonist's actions, or is at best ambivalent, until in a sudden about-face it changes its mind and lets its conscience-character not only approve but abet them? The movie just isn't quite that stupid until the last scene.
Slightly hokey in parts, but overall quite entertaining!
posted on 29 Jul 2009I walked into the theatre not knowing what it was about--hadn't even heard of it, actually, but the movie I was trying to see had projector issues.And to my surprise, I found myself quite entranced by this mystery movie of a traumatized woman who takes justice into her own hands.I know there are plenty of vigilante movies out there, and to be perfectly honest this one doesn't do much that is original. We get the obligatory philosophical debate of the morality of killing thugs who deserve it, minus that crucial law step.But mostly, this is a movie that impresses it self most by some impressive performances from its leads and the fact that, despite whatever our opinion is on the vigilante syndrome, there is something pretty darn neat about watching jerks get shot in the face by Jodie Foster. Indeed, I pretty much ignored the good/evil debate and happily waited for Ms. Foster to take out another hoodlum.Plus, I thought the filming was just plain pretty--in a dark and sinister kind of way.If guns and good acting is all it takes to keep you happy, this will be worth your ticket price.
Couple gets mugged, one dies, and the woman, once she can get back out goes on some revenge rage.
posted on 27 Jul 2009When the most interesting character, and this character has the best lines, and his part in the movie is the most crucial to the plot, is a dog, and it's not a Disney movie, then you know you're in trouble and in for a bumpy ride. Whatever could Jodie Foster been thinking when she read this script? Desperation? Though, lately, it seems that some of our best actors and actresses have been involved in some major "dogs" lately. No pun intended. Anyway, who in their right mind, even with a large dog, would go walking in Central Park, and at night? And who, when confronted by 3 muggers, all who seem to have been drinking, starts a fight? I guess the doctor was not so smart after all. The acting was stilted; Ms. Foster's facial expressions were stone-like, if even that; the dialogue was boring, what there was of it; and other than the dog's performance, the movie was too predictable. YAY! The good guys won after all. What a surprise.
It's not cream, it's vanilla…The Brave One
posted on 27 Jul 2009It appears all the critical response I read was true when it came to Neil Jordan's The Brave One. Derivative, predictable, repetitive, and slow are all words that can be used to describe it. I remember hearing that Jordan himself was never too enthused about the movie either, pretty much saying that it wasn't his, he was just a hired hand to get it all on screen. Well, it sure felt that way as there is no originality or flair at all, just a very point and shoot style with askew camera angles slowly righting themselves the only visual flourish. Now the acting wasn't half bad and the story wasn't that uninteresting, unfortunately it all didn't mesh well as the script thought we needed to be beaten over the head with the killings going on. This is a revenge flick, we know that our lead will eventually come face to face with her assaulters, don't bore us with the periphery stuff for so long that we just don't carry anymore when the good stuff happens. Also, the use of our victim's radio show and the public's outcries about whether a vigilante is something the world needs becomes laughable. Don't try to give us any moral ambiguity as a community; this is about her and her revenge. That is why I like Death Sentence so much—a film with very similar themes handled a lot better. That film knew we understood his bloodlust; here we need to go through the motions as though there is a grander plan involved. Well there isn't, so don't waste our time.The relationship between Jodie Foster's Erica, the victim vigilante, and Terrence Howard's Mercer, the detective she befriends, is a very interesting one. They both have the same feelings on the law that the criminals are always finding a way to survive at the cost of innocent lives. However, while she decides to go outside it in order to do right, he will always stay within, because if the law doesn't work, what is the point? I think that although the ending is very predictable and handled in way to make it humorous (don't ask me how, but it is) I still believe it was a logical conclusion and worked in the scope of everything that occurs. I could have done without the "shaking hands" observation that came up about every twenty minutes or so, but this thing is so heavy-handed I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by how important the filmmakers decided to make that small detail.Foster is always pretty good and as the victim here she succeeds with regularity. There are many quiet moments where her facial expressions and emotions have to carry along the story. Her reactions to the murders and the wrestling with her own demons about whether what she is doing is right are nicely done. As for Howard, he is the true star. Maybe he goes a tad overboard, but his own tug of war with doing what is supposed to be right instead of what he feels is right is etched on his face. Almost disillusioned about his own job, it is he that has to deal with the most during the course of the movie. Where he goes, as a character, is the unknown factor, even though one can guess where he will end up quite easily, he manages to make the journey stay interesting.I can't necessarily recommend the movie because it has all been done before, most times better. The Brave One is a well-made movie, but there just isn't anything to stick out and warrant a second viewing, or even the thought that the first was necessary. It is an amalgam of clichés and moments slapped together. When you have things like the locale of the beating called Stranger's Cove and the sage next-door neighbor, initially looked on as a reclusive, anger-filled woman, become a character to impart wisdom and a useful stitching skill, you know you are just being toyed with while the producers make their money, laughing on how they made the audience think this was an original film. The only thing I can truly recommend is checking out Nicky Katt's brief but effective role as Howard's detective partner. He is the comic relief and pulls it off brilliantly. He is never used enough in Hollywood, but it's nice that he can be successful in even the most mundane of films.
Vigilante tale strives to be more than a female Death Wish but is too clever and icy to really care about
posted on 27 Jul 2009Jodie Foster and her boyfriend are set upon by thugs and beaten badly sending both to the hospital. The boyfriend dies of his injuries and waking up a month later, Foster is left to put her life back together. Buying a gun she sets out to be certain she's never afraid again.Its more complicated then then that. Actually this is a "deeper" vigilante story like Death Sentence, which I saw earlier in the evening. I'm not sure I buy it. In a weird sort of way I think this is like the typical anti-violence (or anti anything) movies that filled with lots of violence (or what ever the film is against) so that you get the point. To be certain the film attempts to stand above the Death Wish or Death Sentence films by having Foster make commentary over what we're seeing, but I don't know if that really does the trick. I think the point the film lost me was when Foster and her boyfriend are wheeled into the ER and there is cross cutting between the pair being worked on by the doctors and the wounded couple making love. Its an odd juxtaposition that is intellectually clever, but which signaled a desire to be more than your typical vigilante tale. I drifted a bit more when we got scenes of Foster wandering the street and we saw the typical tilty camera shots to show her ill at ease at being on the street. It was as if the film wanted, like the typical anti films, both ways. (I also found Foster a bit too icy and distant even before the shooting so I never connected with her.) Is it a bad movie? No, but its not really a good one. I think its kind of an okay one, but nothing special. To be honest I was disappointed. My friend Lou saw the film and really loved it. however he came into the film 15 or 20 minutes late by which time Foster had been attacked and she was set on the road to putting her life back together. I'm curious what he'll make of the film when he sees it from the start since I think I would have been better served coming in when he did, my problems stemming from the early scenes.
The Brave One: Credit to Credit
posted on 25 Jul 2009Good god, this film was fantastic.I'm pretty sure this will now be considered, in my mind at least, to be one of the greatest revenge films ever created alongside Oldboy, Kill Bill, Dead Man's Shoes, V for Vendetta, Boondock Saints, Green Street Hooligans (though not many people know about it. . . it's growing to be a cult classic in my area because I force anyone I meet to watch it), etc.Everything about it was great. Jodie Foster was great as the victim-turned-vigilante. Terrance Howard was great as the strong, but sympathetic, cop. Sayid (I don't know his real name, but that's who he plays in Lost) did a great job of. . . well. . . you find out about ten minutes in.The violence is brutal.The story is fantastic.The humour is actually funny (surprisingly, I actually laughed) and well timed. And there's definitely not "too much" of it. There's a fine line in a movie as dark as this for humour. Too little makes you want to kill yourself. Too much makes you want to kill someone else. This one is somewhere in the middle. . . maybe a ritual beating of some kind.- - - If you're mad at someone. . . go see this movie. It'll either entice you to kill someone. . . or make you feel like you already did.But, if you hate "cheer" movies. . . movies when people will actually exclaim, clap, etc. . . this probably won't work for you unless you get a roomful of mute paraplegics. It's definitely a "woot"-er.Go see it.I've given out a few 10/10s this year, to those that deserve it: Pan's Labyrinth, Hot Fuzz, Sunshine, Bourne Ultimatum, and (depressingly) Hairspray.This one joins those ranks.10/10.
Wow, just, wow.
posted on 25 Jul 2009This film is a real piece of art and a corner stone of art house cinema. Not only is it visually breathtaking but the piece also carries a crucial message about the importance of vigilantism and the incompetence of all police. This is what Jodie Foster will be remembered for long after she dies, surprised that she was not nominated for an academy award. Cuba Gooding Jr. also does an amazing job. Great film. I was a bit disappointed that sayid, the pakistani male from "lost" did not have a bigger role, but the beating he received at the beginning of the film was very believable, although the blood kinda looked like ketchup. The dog was so cute, I was so sad when I saw the cholos take him, but was so happy when he survived at the end. All in all I strongly advise all fans of good, low budget art house cinema to check this out, i don't think anyway will walk away from this movie without a long lasting impression.
Lifted by Jodie
posted on 23 Jul 2009This is an enjoyable if predictable revenge movie but it is mainly down to Jodie Foster as Erica Bain that it is lifted slightly above mediocre.She is always good to watch and here she manages to portray the vigilante DJ in a convincing yet vulnerable way.Miss Foster is a fine actress and is up there with Cate Blanchett as one of the very best film actresses around today.Terrence Howard is fine as Detective Mercer and the film is tightly directed by Neil Jordan.It was nice to see Mary Steenburgen again as Erica's boss Carol.I haven't seen her for a while and she shows here that she still has plenty to offer.New York is shown to be a pretty bleak place here but that is within the context of this film which has to show just why Erica feels so unsafe.There are some scenes which are predictable and comparisons with 'Death Wish' are inevitable as this movie is quite similar in a lot of ways.It isn't a classic but it is worth a watch thank's mainly to Jodie.
Good movie which speaks of reality in Metros..
posted on 19 Jul 2009I recently watched this movie and I really loved this one. There was another person accompanying me and he really hated it. I found it this movie is for matured audiences and not for "Harry potter, Star wars" kind of audiences. This movie raises many questions about the life security of people living in suburbs.The movie doesn't really answer the question but shows many facts and places u need to be careful. I personally liked Jodie who is mid 40's and still looked pretty with good histrionics. The direction and screenplay were at top notch.The conversations and the dialogs will absolutely leave their mark on audiences. Over all I rate the movie 8 of 10.I warn the audience its not a preteen kind a movie. If u feel u are matured and really know whats going around you and in world you will love the movie and identify yourself in the protagonist.
A female version of Death Wish!
posted on 13 Jul 2009A female version of Death Wish! Many Greek plays were about a woman scorned from the death of a loved one. The Brave One interrogates the Greek tragedy well. Like Bronson in Death Wish, Foster deals with the death of her significant other. Pain, outrage, and emptiness creates the beast of revenge. Foster's hole cannot be filled. Foster's character has disgust for the parasites of society. Unlike Death Wish, Foster's character obtains closure with the antagonists' deaths. 7 out of 10. I liked death sentence a little better. My wife believes the movie is geared for a more female audience, while death sentence is more male audience oriented. Death Sentence is more of a tribute to Taxi driver. A retro theme of the 70's movie, similar to Grind House.
A Pretty Cool Movie; Jodie Foster's Great!
posted on 11 Jul 2009The Brave One was a really cool and entertaining film.Jodie Foster is absolutely one of the best actresses there is, and her performance in this movie proves that.At first, The Brave One started off rocky.I lost a bit of interest, and for awhile I felt as if a lot of material was "HIGHLY" unnecessary.As the film continued on it became more interesting and I started to see how the material at the starting of the film fit in.The only things I found wrong, was that it was slightly boring at times, and some scenes were a bit predictable, but I liked it nonetheless.The action was good(Considering how little there was), the dialogue is not something to worship, but they did good on it anyway, and the acting was perfect.I would recommend The Brave One, because although it's not a masterpiece, I feel it is a must see.
Now if your gonna use a gun make sure that it's legal
posted on 11 Jul 2009***SPOILERS*** Updated version of the Charles Bronson 1974 urban vigilante thriller "Death Wish" from the feminine point of view. The film "The Brave One" has instead of the though and intimidating, to the criminals roaming the streets of NYC, Charles Bronson as former bleeding heart liberal and now vigilante executioner Paul Kersy it has as its heroine the frail harmless and emaciated looking Jodie Forster as radio talk show host Erica Bain.Taking a late-spring walk one evening in New York's Central Park Erica together with her dog Curtis and live in boyfriend Dr. David Kirmani, Naveen Andrews,are sat upon by a gang of muggers who end up murdering David by cracking his skull open with a lead pipe! Erica who survived the attack was left in a coma for some thee weeks.Left without her boyfriend David as well as not being able to cope with the world around her Erica decides to get herself a "piece", gun, in order not only to protect herself but also get her confidence back to face life on the outside. It doesn't take long for Erica to use her Kahr PM 9mm automatic gunning down in a local bodega Sandy Combs, Larry Fessenden, who after murdering the bodega owner- his estranged wife- Ida Combs, An Nguyen, tried to shoot anyone who witnessed the killing.Later taking a ride on the NYC subway Erica is accosted by two knife-wielding thugs who end up dead when Erica pumped four bullets into them before they could slice her up. Connecting the bodega shooting with the shootings on the subway the police, and local newspapers, realize that there's a vigilante on the loose but mistake the mysterious avenger for a man not a woman.There's also a side plot in "The Brave One" involving the NYPD detective assigned to the vigilante case Sean Mercer, Terrance Howard. A straight as a arrow cop Mercer feels helpless in stopping corrupt businessman and gangster Culter, Victor Colicchio, from committing any future crimes. Mercer feels that Culter murdered his wife, making it look like a suicide, and now wants to get custody of his four year-old step-daughter who may have witnessed the crime. ***SPOILER ALERT*** It later turns out that Erica in doing what Det. Mercer didn't have the nerve to do got her chance to put away the thugs who murdered David, as well as getting back her and David's dog Curtis, with Det Marcus covering the "justifyable" killings up for her. The final scene of "The Brave One" was a lot like the one in the Dirty Harry-Clint Eastwood thriller "Sudden Impact" not like the conclusion of "Death Wish" which its constituently compared to."The Brave One" doesn't have the swift cobra-like lighting bite of "Death Wish" and is also hampered by the fact that Erica is always doubting herself, unlike Charles Bronson's Paul Kersy, if she in cleaning the criminal scum off the streets of New York is doing the right thing. It's in the last fifteen minutes or so in the movie that Erica finally gets down to business in tracking down the thugs who put her in the hospital murdered David and dog-napped her pet Curtis.***MAJOR SPOILER*** Terrific ending with Det. Mercer coming to Eric's aid and in a way finishing the job that she started! But only by moving the characters, or chess pieces, around to make it look like the slew of killings, that Erica participated in, were the work of a number of different but at the same time connected individuals not that of a lone and unidentified vigilante.
The brave one ... for telling the same old story all over again
posted on 11 Jul 2009Ever since I watched this movie I've had mixed feelings about it. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something felt wrong. I knew it was a good movie with - as usual - a great Jodie Foster in the lead role, but why was I somewhat disappointed? Then it suddenly hit me! This movie contains a story that has been told so many times before. "Death wish", "Taxi driver", "Batman", "Robocop" and even the video game "Max Payne" all tell similar tales of how a rogue vigilante randomly goes out and kills would-be muggers on the mean streets after dark in their cities.Thus the biggest flaw of "The brave one" is the story's serious lack of originality. Luckily: the rest is quite good. You care about most of the characters and virtually all acting is really nice; especially Jodie Foster as the frustrated anti-hero and Terrence Howard as the detective who is assigned to crack the case.The sinister atmosphere that this movie generates is exactly the same as in the 1976 classic "Taxi driver" but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Such a distressing mood gives the impression of being back in the jungle where survival of the fittest is the number one rule. The first crime depicted in this bleak movie is a good example of such a situation. The brutal scene where Jodie Foster and her husband are roughed up by a couple of street punks late at night is truly heartbreaking stuff.In short: Forget about the fact that this movie tells a worn-out story and you'll enjoy it all the more.
A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged.........
posted on 30 Aug 2009The Brave One is not your typical vigilante movie, in reality it shouldn't even be classified as such. Jodie Foster's character, Erica is a victim. She has been victimized by criminals, NYC laws and an apathetic police force.Initially Erica is a typical New Yorker who sees the world through rose colored glasses until reality hits her square in the face in the form of a brutal attack. Her fiancé is killed and she barely survives. She immediately notices that she's not the same person and lives in a perpetual state of fear. Fear of going outside, fear of the person walking behind her, fear of the course her life is taking. She is plagued by flashbacks not only of the attack, but of the times spent with her fiancé.Realizing she is alone and helpless against criminals, Erica goes to a gun shop is search of a means of defense. The clerk informs her of the hoops she has to jump through just to get a license and she resorts to her only other avenue, the black market.After acquiring a gun, Erica doesn't become a vigilante, she simply refuses to be a victim and instead fights back when confronted. She's in the right place at the right time and deals with criminals who up to now have been slipping through the cracks of a fractured justice system. After several of the shootings, we are reminded of the criminals extensive history and wonder why the hell they're on the streets.I found only two glaring errors in the film. First is the premise of the original mugging. Surely two New Yorkers would have enough sense not to go into a park after dark. Second was the police detective offering her his gun to execute the final criminal. It simply wouldn't happen. Other than that, The Brave One is an excellent character study of those traumatized by crime and how they are forever haunted by it.