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Simply Perfect

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Good movie but grossly overrated

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Radio presenter Erica Bain has a pretty good life but that is shattered when she and David, her fiancé, encounter three thugs as they walk their dog in Central Park on night. The confrontation leaves David dead and Erica seriously injured. She remains in a coma for three months and when she wakes she isn't the same person; for the first time she is afraid. She buys a pistol to protect herself and soon finds herself using it when she is in a convenience store and the cashier is shot by her estranged husband. Erica shots him and is surprised to find that her hands are no longer shaking. Later she shots a pair of youths who threaten her on the subway and is then looking for threatening situations. It isn't long before the police believe that they have a vigilante operating in the city; they however assume they are looking for a man. Erica befriends Detective Sean Mercer, who believes her interest in the case is professional, and learns of a man he has been pursuing for years and goes after him; this time she doesn't use a gun so the killing isn't obviously linked to the vigilante. Eventually she learns the identity of one of the men who killed her fiancé and sets about looking for them… by now Mercer is suspicious that she is involved but will he get to her in time to stop her… or will he even try to stop her?This is a solid revenge thriller which has a slight twist over the usual stories about vigilantes in that the protagonist is a woman. The early scenes showing her ordinary life do a good job of introducing her and makes the events that change her more shocking. It also means we can see how she has changed. Her path from scared victim to armed vigilante isn't too rushed and it is understandable that the police don't suspect her sooner. Jodie Foster does a fine job as Erica; she gives a nicely conflicted performance as a character who appears to want to be stopped. She is supported by Terrence Howard who does a solid job as Detective Mercer. The story is gripping and the end isn't too obvious… but nor is it too surprising. Some may find the ending a little distasteful as it could be taken as implying her actions were morally acceptable. Overall I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the genre, it won't be for everybody though.

The Brave One (2007): Dir: Neil Jordan / Cast: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Nicky Katt, Mary Steenburgen: Why they titled this film as such is a puzzle. There is nothing brave about what Erika Bain does here. She is a radio personality whose fiancée is killed during a mugging and her purchases of an illegal gun and begins to pick off muggers, pimps and general outcasts. Total recycled without a shred of originality. Charles Bronson practically pioneered this plot with Death Wish, but Zoe Tamerlis made for a much more fetching heroine in Ms. 45. This is the total opposite of the storytelling that worked so well in those films. Director Neil Jordan does his best but this is a far cry from the originality of his previous film Breakfast On Pluto. Jodie Foster is one of the finest actresses of her generation but as Bain she is reduced too a formula plot where contrivances occur almost by the second. Terrence Howard plays a police detective who will end up turning a blind eye because we're called to view her as a symbol of good despite her questionable sense of direction. Naveen Andrews as Foster's fiancée isn't very broad, and Nicky Katt as Howard's partner is wasted. Contrived bullshit happens once a robbery and murder occur right after Bain purchases a gun. With that said, this is far beneath Jordan and Foster who both must brave the reduction. Score: 2 / 10

There's nothing like a gunshot jump scare during a quiet scene to really turn you off a movie. That's the sort of cheap histrionics at the heart of "The Brave One". Really, this is some pseudo-intellectual version of "Death Wish", with Jodie Foster taking to the streets of New York City with a gun after suffering a vicious attack in the park. But that movie worked as well as it did because we wanted to see Charles Bronson exact some street justice. He was almost born to play that part, and the movie was sold on his persona. But here, it's Foster playing vigilante because she's trying to fill the void left by the attackers. Or something. No wait, it's because the police are of no help. Or because she can't stop herself. And naturally, the city ignites the vigilantism debate. And that unbelievably convenient ending? Seriously.This is worth anyone's time just for Foster's performance, but the last thing I need is a revenge flick playing on my emotions at every turn.4/10

This is a movie where criminals and street thugs get more than they bargained for when radio hostess Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) buys a gun and turns into a vigilante after her fiancé was brutally attacked in the New York streets.Foster gave a credible performance as Bain, mixing in drama and her hunger for revenge, but generating sympathy from the audience after the very unfortunate incident her character experiences in the film. This makes you root for her throughout the movie as she downs scumbag criminals left and right - before law enforcement could intervene.Caught in the fray is Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard), where he has to choose between arresting Bain for her activities or give in to her sympathetic plight. He gives the movie an enticing subplot and generates enough intrigue for the audience, letting them wonder which way he will choose.The script and plot are well-paced, with a dark but riveting atmosphere that is sure to keep the audience engaged. There are much disturbing scenes as well, and is certainly not a movie for everyone (I myself cringed a few times). But, it's still a riveting film nonetheless, with a satisfying "good guy vs. bad guy" element.Grade B