The Brave One (C or 2/4 stars)
Grim is the 1st word I can think of to describe 'The Brave One', a crime drama directed by Neil Jordan. This film tells the story of a woman who struggles to recover from a viscous attack by setting out on a mission for revenge. She contemplates her law-breaking actions after the fact. But during her 'missions', she feels pretty darn good about what she's doing. Jodie Foster is really fantastic in this role. But the film built around her is just filled with eye-rolling implausibilities & tedious, deliberate pacing. It's hard to believe that a film with such strong acting (including Terrence Howard) would have such a hollow, ludicrous script.
Radio host, Erica Bane (Foster) is working & living a great life in NYC. Knowing that her wedding day approaches, Erica takes what she hopes is a pleasant night stroll with her fiancee (Naveen Andrews, of Lost). Unfortunately, they are brutally attacked by some street thugs, they steal her dog, & are left for dead. David succumbs, but Erica hangs on. 3 weeks later, & awake from a coma, Erica is traumatized by what has occurred. Although she's alive, her spirit is dead. Without sleep, and afraid to leave her apartment, Erica copes with her tragedy by purchasing an illegal gun (for protection & retribution). Submerged in anger & depression, Erica becomes a new person. She begins to prowl the streets at night, looking for justice (by witnessing bad guys at work & killing them!). Erica embarks on a 'death wish' killing spree (all with the main goal to kill the men who took her fiancee from her). The police, led by Det. Mercer (Howard), and media, are fascinated by the seemingly male vigilante. Forces (beyond plot description) join Erica & Det. Mercer together as respective friends. But little does he know that the person he's hunting is right under his nose the whole time.
Although the standard set-up, narrative & conclusion of a revenge flick is all here, a hefty portion of the film deals with the psychology of revenge & whether or not it's all worth it. Erica begins to question the ambiguity of her morality the deeper & deeper she goes. She has a conscience (guilty & innocent), but is her sanity intact? Surely it must be right to take the law into your own hands when the cops are too chicken/unskilled to do so themselves, right? OR, are the emotional & physical consequences not worth it all? Erica embodies fear, courage, anger & bravery ... often at the same time; she's a complete mess. I liked this inward, disturbing, contemplative angle on the 'revenge flick' genre. But the situations that arise & play-out for Erica are so convenient, so tidy, so expected, and so absurd that it negates a lot of the interesting psychology of Erica's character, AND Foster's fantastic performance.
At 122 minutes, the film felt 3 hours long. So any credible effect is lost 2/3 of the way through. The film is moody, sophisticated, & offers some great shots, but the story (particularly the ending) is overcalculated & far-fetched. It's a watchable movie (barely) because Foster's performance is compelling. She shows all colors: giddy, content, bruised, battered, naked (literally & figuratively), fearful, brooding, menacing, etc. But it's as if the producers said, 'Hey, let's get Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, make a 'death wish' movie, add a non-conventional, psychological contemplation angle ... and hope that the actual story & script will do the rest'. No good. Foster impresses as Erica Bane, Howard is stellar as the sympathetic cop, but little in this overcooked, cliched drama makes sense.
Radio host, Erica Bane (Foster) is working & living a great life in NYC. Knowing that her wedding day approaches, Erica takes what she hopes is a pleasant night stroll with her fiancee (Naveen Andrews, of Lost). Unfortunately, they are brutally attacked by some street thugs, they steal her dog, & are left for dead. David succumbs, but Erica hangs on. 3 weeks later, & awake from a coma, Erica is traumatized by what has occurred. Although she's alive, her spirit is dead. Without sleep, and afraid to leave her apartment, Erica copes with her tragedy by purchasing an illegal gun (for protection & retribution). Submerged in anger & depression, Erica becomes a new person. She begins to prowl the streets at night, looking for justice (by witnessing bad guys at work & killing them!). Erica embarks on a 'death wish' killing spree (all with the main goal to kill the men who took her fiancee from her). The police, led by Det. Mercer (Howard), and media, are fascinated by the seemingly male vigilante. Forces (beyond plot description) join Erica & Det. Mercer together as respective friends. But little does he know that the person he's hunting is right under his nose the whole time.
Although the standard set-up, narrative & conclusion of a revenge flick is all here, a hefty portion of the film deals with the psychology of revenge & whether or not it's all worth it. Erica begins to question the ambiguity of her morality the deeper & deeper she goes. She has a conscience (guilty & innocent), but is her sanity intact? Surely it must be right to take the law into your own hands when the cops are too chicken/unskilled to do so themselves, right? OR, are the emotional & physical consequences not worth it all? Erica embodies fear, courage, anger & bravery ... often at the same time; she's a complete mess. I liked this inward, disturbing, contemplative angle on the 'revenge flick' genre. But the situations that arise & play-out for Erica are so convenient, so tidy, so expected, and so absurd that it negates a lot of the interesting psychology of Erica's character, AND Foster's fantastic performance.
At 122 minutes, the film felt 3 hours long. So any credible effect is lost 2/3 of the way through. The film is moody, sophisticated, & offers some great shots, but the story (particularly the ending) is overcalculated & far-fetched. It's a watchable movie (barely) because Foster's performance is compelling. She shows all colors: giddy, content, bruised, battered, naked (literally & figuratively), fearful, brooding, menacing, etc. But it's as if the producers said, 'Hey, let's get Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, make a 'death wish' movie, add a non-conventional, psychological contemplation angle ... and hope that the actual story & script will do the rest'. No good. Foster impresses as Erica Bane, Howard is stellar as the sympathetic cop, but little in this overcooked, cliched drama makes sense.