The Brave One

PREMIER MOVIE REVIEWS - The Brave One (2007)

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The Brave One (2007)

Genre: Action/Thriller

Director: Neil Jordan

Certificate: The Brave One was rated 16 by the Irish Film Censor's Office (www.ifco.ie) i.e. suitable only for those of 16 years of age or upwards.

Violence = strong. Drugs = moderate. Sex/Nudity = moderate. Language = strong.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: The Brave One

Plot Summary & Review

I love bad ass bitches movies and The Brave One is the bad ass-iest. Full of suspense and righteous action, The Brave One will capture your attention and leave you with your mouth open wide.

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Radio personality Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) and her fiancé David (Naveen Andrews) are walking their dog when a band of thugs attack them in a tunnel, brutally beating them both and killing David. When Bain wakes up from an extended coma, she is wrought with fear. In order to function without being lost to fear she arms herself so that she can return to the world. Once armed, she finds herself in situations where she would need to protect herself again and with only limited hesitation, she kills those people who attack her. Bain strikes up a friendship with Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard), the detective working on her killings.

In The Brave One, Jodie Foster is doing what Jody Foster does best, being sincerely vulnerable and shamelessly strong. After the beating, Erica experiences, what seems to be, post traumatic stress disorder. Foster portrays the character’s fragile emotional state with such clarity and precision. She made me wonder what I’d feel if I were in her situation. When she got the gun and started to kill people, I knew I’d be right there with her. Her emotional progression is rich and complex.

Terrence Howard isn’t out-shadowed by Foster. His performance as Detective Mercer is just as coloured by shades of grey as Erica. His character’s questions of morality are far more complicated than Erica’s. His duty as a police officer, his personal feelings of justice, and his compassion all conflict in The Brave One. His personal life and somewhat unprofessional behaviour throughout the story muddy his honour, but it also cleans the filth from his rectitude. Howard’s portrayal is smart, depressing and insightful.

A great deal of the credit rests at the feet of the director Neil Jordon and the writers Roderick Taylor, Bruce Taylor and Cynthia Mort. It’s a testament to their writing and directing that the characters are composite and multifarious. The movie gets more and more interesting as old Erica dies and new Erica is born. Not only is Erica pushed to face her darker parts but Detective Mercer must face his own murkiness.

When I left The Brave One, I wondered if I would be the bad ass bitch or the simpering saddy. However I would go, it was satisfying to watch a woman face the bad guys with vigour!

Reviewed by LaRae Meadows, Premier Movie Reviews 2007

If you enjoy The Brave One you might also enjoy: Little Fish, Murder By Numbers, Taking Lives, The Panic Room.

Main Cast

Jodie Foster

Terrence Howard

Naveen Andrews

Mary Steenburgen

Jane Adams

Nicky Katt

RATING