With The Brave One, director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) attempts to remake Death Wish as a thoughtful, relevant thriller, but the end result is more of an exercise in slumming by A-listers convinced that they can “elevate” frankly pulpy material. New York-based radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) has an idyllic life that's shattered when a brutal attack in the park leaves her badly wounded and her fiancé (Naveen Andrews) dead. Unable and perhaps unwilling to move past the tragedy, Erica begins packing heat and prowling the city's mean streets in search of malefactors she can bring to justice—secret vigilante forays that draw the attention of a dogged NYPD detective (Terrence Howard) who is deeply conflicted about his own effectiveness as a crime fighter. Jordan apparently wants the viewer to feel unnerved and even repulsed by Erica's behavior, but the sequences in which she dispenses justice offer visceral thrills that contradict the point of view articulated by Howard's character, who is the film's voice of conscience (and a truly preposterous denouement completely invalidates the arguments that the script attempts to make with such earnestness). Ultimately, The Brave One is a schizophrenic movie that succeeds narrowly as entertainment but fails miserably as social commentary. Optional. [Note: Available in widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include the 22-minute production featurette “I Walk the City,” seven minutes of additional scenes, and trailers. Bottom line: an undistinguished extras package for a disappointing film.] (E. Hulse)
The Brave One
Warner, 122 min., R, DVD: $28.98, Feb. 5 Volume 23, Issue 1
The Brave One
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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