The Brave One delivers ending twist, no action
Reviewer awards 3 1/2 of 5 tips of the hat
JoLynn Elkins
Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: Entertainment
The Brave One-starring Jodie Foster (Panic Room), Terence Howard (Hustle and Flow) is rated R for strong violence,language and some sexuality. After surviving a brutal attack that killed her fiancé, Erica (Foster) struggles to find a way to pull together what is left of her life. Things snap when she decides NYPD has failed not only her, but other citizens like her and she takes matters into her own hands.
Befriended by sympathetic but dedicated Detective Mercer(Howard), Erica leaves behind her feelings of guilt and develops
her vigilante persona.
Many have said that The Brave One is a remake of the 1974 Charles Bronson film Death Wish with a chick. My two observations: 1.Heck yeah and 2.well... maybe.
1. The Brave One's plot is almost identical, only with a female protagonist. Bronson played a mild mannered professional
Kersey with a wife and family, Foster as Erica, an artistic, independent woman looking to settle down with her fiancé and her dog. Both are taken advantage of in an
innocent, vulnerable position that started as a robbery, but ended up as a vicious bloodbath.
The once passive now enraged protagonist then turns to his/her own means to solve
this moral dilemma of "what is justice." Based on the sequence of events, the similarities lead me to believe that The
Brave One is totally jacked from Death Wish. Come on Hollywood, where's the originality?
2. The main difference in the two films is the purpose of the emotion the protagonist shows. In Death Wish, Kersey's anger carries the plot: his reason for killing is that he is angry. In The Brave One, the plot is: "What will she do with her anger, confusion and resolve?" Mercer acts as a grounding wire, showing that good cops are hindered by the legal system and kept from taking care of the real criminals on the
street. This fact brings validation to Erica's vigilante stance.
The beginning of the film is slow, trying to display the bliss of Erica's life. But it fails miserably as Foster can't act "happy" and she and Naveen Andrews (David, her love interest) are unconvincing as a loving couple. But once the first shot is fired, Foster is in her element as emotional, confused and generally pissed-off woman with a grudge. Enter Detective Mercer. Howard is impressive with his puffy, soulful eyes and sheepish admission of listening to Erica's nostalgic
talk radio show. He is a cop the audience can feel good about liking. He banters with his co-workers and works to protect young witnesses with a sincerity not attached to his case.
The relationship between he and Erica adds suspense to this rather straightforward film, but the viewer can tell, eventually, the discovery will affect the relationship.
The film is not as action-oriented as the trailer let on, a tactic I find annoying as all get out. But the film slowly gains momentum, spiking at times throughout the film and snowballs to a satisfying action conclusion.
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the worst, I give The Brave One a 3 and ½ tips of the Texan hat for a tired plot with an ending twist, and convincing performance.
Befriended by sympathetic but dedicated Detective Mercer(Howard), Erica leaves behind her feelings of guilt and develops
her vigilante persona.
Many have said that The Brave One is a remake of the 1974 Charles Bronson film Death Wish with a chick. My two observations: 1.Heck yeah and 2.well... maybe.
1. The Brave One's plot is almost identical, only with a female protagonist. Bronson played a mild mannered professional
Kersey with a wife and family, Foster as Erica, an artistic, independent woman looking to settle down with her fiancé and her dog. Both are taken advantage of in an
innocent, vulnerable position that started as a robbery, but ended up as a vicious bloodbath.
The once passive now enraged protagonist then turns to his/her own means to solve
this moral dilemma of "what is justice." Based on the sequence of events, the similarities lead me to believe that The
Brave One is totally jacked from Death Wish. Come on Hollywood, where's the originality?
2. The main difference in the two films is the purpose of the emotion the protagonist shows. In Death Wish, Kersey's anger carries the plot: his reason for killing is that he is angry. In The Brave One, the plot is: "What will she do with her anger, confusion and resolve?" Mercer acts as a grounding wire, showing that good cops are hindered by the legal system and kept from taking care of the real criminals on the
street. This fact brings validation to Erica's vigilante stance.
The beginning of the film is slow, trying to display the bliss of Erica's life. But it fails miserably as Foster can't act "happy" and she and Naveen Andrews (David, her love interest) are unconvincing as a loving couple. But once the first shot is fired, Foster is in her element as emotional, confused and generally pissed-off woman with a grudge. Enter Detective Mercer. Howard is impressive with his puffy, soulful eyes and sheepish admission of listening to Erica's nostalgic
talk radio show. He is a cop the audience can feel good about liking. He banters with his co-workers and works to protect young witnesses with a sincerity not attached to his case.
The relationship between he and Erica adds suspense to this rather straightforward film, but the viewer can tell, eventually, the discovery will affect the relationship.
The film is not as action-oriented as the trailer let on, a tactic I find annoying as all get out. But the film slowly gains momentum, spiking at times throughout the film and snowballs to a satisfying action conclusion.
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the worst, I give The Brave One a 3 and ½ tips of the Texan hat for a tired plot with an ending twist, and convincing performance.
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