The Brave One

Alright, it is about that time for another vengeful Jodie Foster movie. The Brave One probably falls somewhere in between the superior Panic Room and the unnecessary Flightplan. There were a few hiccups along the way, but this was still a good movie. Jodie is able to do these types of roles over and over because she is able to pull of these characters. Having a better storyline than Flightplan helps The Brave One and it’s that depth in character that makes the difference.

There is just something about Jodie Foster that makes it seem okay that we have gotten three variations on same story in the last five years. She is able to create different characters for each of her journeys from peril to vengeance. The Brave One goes much farther than Panic Room or Flightplan. Erica Bain steps way over the line and enters Death Wish territory. But the difference is that the process destroys Erica. She knows Detective Mercer will catch her and she even encourages it. Jodie has the ability to start the story as a happy radio host who is soon to be married, shift to broken woman scared to leave her home, then slowly becomes the female Punisher, before the rather disappointing conclusion. I will get to the ending later. Although this is Jodie Foster’s movie, Terrence Howard is still able to shine in his supporting role. He took advantage of the handful of scenes he was given to create his character; the way he talks to the little girl in the hospital, the way he deals with his ex-wife, and all of his detecting scenes. Then once his relationship with Erica begins, Howard is able to show how Mercer slowly starts to realize that the vigilante he is looking for is right in front him. Once again, the ending nearly throws all this away. And come on since Boiler Room has there been a bad Nicky Katt performance? I don’t know if The Brave One needed a comic relief character but he was funny enough that I’ll take it.

I may have enjoyed The Brave One but it was not without its faults. The ending just didn’t feel right. I’m not so worried about people cheering about cold blooded killings because I know the world I live in; I just don’t think that the characters in this movie would have done that and just gone on to live their lives. It seems like they wanted almost a happy ending when this movie did not call for one. Plus the climatic scenes included some awful one-liners that actually turned Jodie into a cheap action hero. That really annoyed me.

The Brave One turned out to be nearly exactly what I thought it would be. I was wary of another Jodie Foster avenging woman role but thought that this might spin it enough to make it worthwhile. And that is how The Brave One turned out. There was some good performances and decent story, but the ending held this back from being something great.

7 out of 10