Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Mary Steenburgen. Psychological thriller. Written by Cynthia Mort and Neil Jordan. Directed by Neil Jordan.
FILM SYNOPSIS. New York radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) has a life that she loves and a fiancé she adores. All of it is taken from her when a brutal attack leaves Erica badly wounded and her fiancé dead. Unable to move past the tragedy, Erica begins prowling the city streets at night to track down the men she holds responsible. Her dark pursuit of justice catches the public’s attention, and the city is riveted by her anonymous exploits. But with the NYPD desperate to find the culprit and a dogged police detective (Terrence Howard) hot on her trail, she must decide whether her quest for revenge is truly the right path, or if she is becoming the very thing she is trying to stop. PREVIEW REVIEW: A more conflicted Death Wish, with Jodie Foster filling in for Charlie Bronson, The Brave One is superb filmmaking. With intense performances from Ms. Foster and Terrence Howard, plus a well-structured script that points out the frustrations of victims of crime and the judicial system, The Brave One holds our attention throughout. Alas, as with most films that will be vying for the Motion Picture Academy’s attention this year, it punctuates its story with R-rated content. Everybody gets to use the f-bomb – many times – in order to express their frustration and fear. And why imply when you can depict? So we see many graphic close-up shootings, one dastardly dude getting it in the eye, another in the mouth, one chick three times in the chest by her peeved boyfriend. It’s a well-made film, but a rough one; not just because of the violence or the language, but because of its reminder that brutality lurks around the corner and touches lives otherwise involved in everyday living. The movie haunts us as it suggests tragedy may suddenly disrupt our lives. By film’s end, the main victim has found no solace, no peace of mind. Ironically, she wears a cross throughout the film, but never do we see her praying for God to intercede. For me that was the most disturbing aspect, this physically and mentally wounded woman trying to find resolve from within, yet never seeking a spiritual assist. The ending is just as morally repugnant as the one in the original Death Wish where Charles Bronson was seen in a new town aiming a finger like a gun at delinquents, implying his reign as vigilante had not ended. While I won’t give away this picture’s climax, suffice it to say, though it appears our heroine has been reprieved, in reality, she has not truly been helped.
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