The Brave One

Starring: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Nicky Katt, Mary Steenburgen
Directed by: Neil Jordan
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Jodie Foster) and her husband (Naveen Andrews) are brutally attacked by a gang of thugs. Her husband dies, but she lives- and decides to get revenge on her attackers. She also befriends a cop (Terrence Howard) who gets closer and closer to discovering the truth.

Review:

Tim: I had absolutely no interest in seeing this movie at all. I can't even begin to tell you how disinterested I was in seeing this. It looked like a depressing movie that offered nothing particularly new or exciting. Now, I wasn't far off, but this is a film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Jodie Foster, so it can't be all bad. The movie at least keeps the audience interested and engaged.

Jodie Foster is good in her starring role. She balances her emotions well, keeping her character believable. Terrence Howard also gives a very good performance. These are both terrific actors, and I did enjoy seeing them on screen together. The rest of the cast pretty much vanishes in the shadow of these two performances.

While the individual performances might have been pretty good, the movie isn't. I know we're supposed to care about these characters, to get emotionally invested, and to feel at odds with ourselves (do we want her to murder for revenge, even though we know it's morally wrong?) and all that. However, I just couldn't get into the movie (and I did try). The characters are decent, but not spectacular. The movie keeps you engaged, but not completely. This movie might have been good if it impacted us anywhere below the surface level. As is, the whole movie is fairly inconsequential and not particularly memorable. I felt the same way about Flightplan. I love Jodie Foster looking for strong women roles, but her choices haven't been spectacular.

The Brave One feels like a movie that could have been good, except it isn't. It isn't terrible or poorly made, it just doesn't make any kind of impact. It doesn't matter. That is pretty sad.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Death Sentence, Panic Room, Flightplan