110 out of 120 people found the following review helpful:

The Brave One

SAI81 from from Tonbridge, 6th October, 2007

When talk radio DJ Erica Bain (Foster) and her fiancé (Andrews) are attacked she is sent into a coma. Awaking three weeks later she discovers that her fiancé died of his injuries. Unable to deal with her grief she buys an illegal gun and takes to dealing out vigilante justice, all while befriending the cop (Howard) working the vigilante case. Even if The Brave One were a better than average film, hell even if it were a great one, I’d have trouble giving it a higher score than the one assigned at the end of this review. That is for one reason; it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a film that was so out and out morally repugnant. But let’s save that for later. On the plus side of things there is Jodie Foster. She really is one of the all time great actresses and though there are times (the godawful radio monologues) that she seems uncomfortable in Erica’s skin she does grow into the part and brings conviction and steel to a script that deserves so much less than she gives it. Much of Terence Howard’s performance is rather sleepy, but in his scenes with Foster he comes alive and they conjure a chemistry that is pretty compelling and should really have been exploited with the ending. Sadly that’s pretty much all the good news. Otherwise this is at best a scattered revenge thriller with a protagonist lacking a clear agenda until the final few minutes of the film. The script is a series of contrivances, particularly when it comes to the way in which, after she wakes up, criminals seem to follow Erica around like a virus. There’s nothing to care about here, Erica’s life before the attack isn’t filled in and her friends and colleagues barely feature (on that why use someone as enormously gifted as Jane Adams then give her just one, completely pointless, scene?) and so we lack a connection to her or a reason to engage with her. It’s technically competent, but little more, there’s nothing inventive here from Jordan, nothing to suggest he’s doing more than taking the paycheque this time out. Worse than anything else is the ending of the film. Throughout we are supposed to basically be on Erica’s side but the final few scenes so nakedly endorse what she does they could almost be called incitement. I very nearly walked out. And so it is that a not very good movie becomes one that ought to be actively denounced; as a movie it’s not good, morally it is filth. Avoid.

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48 out of 53 people found the following review helpful:

The hunted turns hunter, an excellent film...

PaulaWestwood from , 22nd September, 2007

The title doesn't really do this justice. This is a get your own back type film very hot on the heels of Kevin Bacon in Death Sentence, and that doesn't detract from this one, as in both cases the films are superb. This time we have a female lead played by Jodie Foster who decides the law may be on her side but the law has not got what it takes to do the job and heal the wounds. For that she must turn herself from the hunted to the hunter. You end up willing her on as it isn't straightforward go get em revenge for her, its something more and to top that she has one of New Yorks finest trying to track her down and end this vigilantes trail of clean ups. This has it all, drama, action, suspense, its just a darned good film I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definately recommended.

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36 out of 39 people found the following review helpful:

The Brave One

ValleyJohn from , 8th February, 2008

I like Jodie Foster . I used to have a little crush on her when i was a kid. I think it's something to do with performance as Tallulah in Bugsy Malone . She's made some great films such as Taxi Driver , The Accused and Silence of the Lambs .She only tends to make one film a year on average so you would think that she would pick the best script given to her . If this is the best script she a read then i would hate to see the ones that got turned down because this film is really bad!

New York radio host Erica Bain has a life that she loves and a fiancé she adores. All of it is taken from her when a brutal attack leaves Erica badly wounded and her fiancé dead. Unable to move past the tragedy, Erica begins prowling the city streets at night to track down the men she holds responsible. Her dark pursuit of justice catches the public's attention, and the city is riveted by her anonymous exploits. But with the NYPD desperate to find the culprit and a dogged police detective hot on her trail, she must decide whether her quest for revenge is truly the right path, or if she is becoming the very thing she is trying to stop.



In the 70's Charles Bronson made the Vigilante movie his own . It started with Death wish in 1974 and then four sequels right up to 1994 . If you watch Death Wish now it is looks dated and disjointed. The question is why did a respected Director like Neil Jordan decide to revive the genre ? Especially when the script is so bad it could almost be a Death Wish parody .


It's a long time since i cringed my way through a film like The Brave One . I could hardly believe the dialogue that was coming out of Jodie Foster's Mouth at times and i can only think that she was cringing inside herself . The terrible radio show that we were made to believe that people really listened too was constantly played in the way of a narration to explain the ridiculous things that Foster's character was doing. The supporting cast were just as bad but they could not be blamed when given dialogue like the following . Picture this . The two investigating officers are standing at some steps below a multi storey car park by a fallen , mangled body of one of the victims . One of the cops says to the other ' It looks like he fell from up there ( no sh1t Sherlock!) . Cause of death could be the fall or it could be the crow bar stuck in his skull '!!! ' I say 50/50 either way or maybe 30/70 ' .
Who wrote this tripe? And how could the man who directed the brilliant film ' The Crying Game ' add this appalling movie to his CV?


I cant think of a redeeming feature about The Brave One that i can recommend apart from maybe the cameo of Naveen Andrews ( above)and he only last the first five minutes of the film.

Unbelievably looking at IMDB.com Jodie Foster received a Golden Globe Nomination for her performance . This must be Hollywood's having a laugh at our expense.

2 out of 10

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19 out of 19 people found the following review helpful:

A vigilante film worth seeing for its lead performance.

JJTimothy from , 4th October, 2007

Left for dead after the motiveless assault that killed her fiancé New York radio host Erica Bain buys a gun. At first it's just a matter of rebuilding her confidence but a further brush with violence makes her aware of the power it bestows and her undimmed rage at her loss, at the apparent lack of police progress and simply at being made a victim finds an unhealthy outlet. The Brave One has a pretty straight-forward if not actually slim premise and one that serves many a tawdry thriller but largely succeeds thanks to Jodie Foster and Neil Jordan. Foster is always watchable and here she excels portraying Erica's agoraphobia, initial horror at her first killing and, later, flinty resolve with a skill that makes the occasional voice-over superfluous. Twisted by trauma Erica clearly finds no heartsease in her actions even as she's driven to them and, like the audience, probably realizes she'd do better to find a therapist. A character that could have been drawn with broad strokes has great depth and award nominations wouldn't be a surprise. Irish director Jordan avoids the tourist view of New York and develops a wholly suitable street-level atmosphere for Foster to play against. Together they give The Brave One an intensity that earns the film its certificate since the violence, though unflinching, is sporadic- it would hardly fill a reel but is involving unlike the bloodshed in 300 for instance, a far more violent film by any measure. Terrence Howard embodies the film's conscience playing a cop who still has passion for his job, sympathetic to Erica but also pursuing the vigilante whom many think is doing the police a favour. He certainly doesn't subscribe to that view and, for the most part, The Brave One also refuses to offer simple answers to the complex questions it asks. But then the film spoils it all- and not by playing excerpts from Erica's radio show which sounds like a lot of naval-gazing clap-trap. It settles for a cathartic but pat and contradictory climax that belongs to an altogether less thoughtful film. Marred by a last reel gear change into conventional vigilante thriller overdrive but, for most of its running time, a thoughtful, troubling drama showcasing a great actress at the top of her game.

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Fantastic drama

A Customer from Blaenau Gwent, S. Wales, 21st March, 2010

Excellent film. Gruesome start but hits the spot. JOdie Foster is excellent in this film. I enjoyed from start to finish and the cop plays an unexpected part at the end. Nice to see Naveen Andrews in it too (LOST).

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the brave one

hboss from , 21st March, 2010

when i saw that Jodie Foster was the main actor I had high hopes for the film and it started O K but as it went on I felt that the performance of the other main actors was very weak. There didn`t seem to be much of a plot, and I felt that the director was trying very hard to find one. What did it for me was the voice of Jodie Foster all the way through the film it was just too mutch I`ve seen a lot of movies with Jodie Foster in, but this one dosen`t do her justice

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Good Foster fodder

Patrick Ford from Andover, Hampshire uk, 10th March, 2010

Every time I hear of a Foster film I am intrigued, regardless of the reviews, because she is such a compelling actor to watch. This one is fairly good Foster material. Good plot, but with a degree of suspension of disbelief required, in what could actually have developed into a very sinister and gripping drama had the main character unravelled a bit more. The relationship that develops between the 2 main characters a case in point. Shame, as so often happens with US drama, that ends all have to be eied up neatly and happily. But beyond that very watchable.

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The brave one

kathspaceman from , 9th March, 2010

I really enjoyed this. It was nice to see jodie foster in another good film. Well acted and this could happen to anyone.

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