The Brave One (2007)

Erica (Jodie Foster) is a happy forty-year old working woman in NYC preparing for her happy marriage. However, at one night, her life was changed when she and her fiancee were attacked, leaving her fiancee dead and she herself unconscious for three weeks. How many times do we see a revenge flick, complete with the notion that "revenge is a dish best served cold?". Well, The Brave One is a revenge flick, but it differs whereas any other revenge flick concentrated on how the journey's going to end (and more often than not, delivering a violence and harsh finish) fashioned to show that the 'bad-guys' really deserved it and more because they had made us, audience, waiting for at least ninety minutes to see it actually happen (and approving it, wrong as it may be).

The Brave One focus on Erica as she tries to bounce back from her grief. She was suddenly paranoid afraid of tunnels and small confined place and finally, she bought herself a gun, not for revenge purpose, mind you, but more of a protection. I've heard folks complained that they had expected the film to be bloody and full of actions, oh, there were blood, of course, but the focus on this film is on Erica as she made her choices, Erica doesn't even intended to pursue the ones that killed her fiancee, but when the opportunities present itself, she wasn't reluctant to take the trip.

This is Jodie Foster's wagon. After seeing this flick, you know that Erica is Jodie Foster. You couldn't see another actress replaced her. This would be among her finest performance, not "The Silence of the Lambs" performance, mind you, but more of "Contact" performance. Understandable, since in "The Silence of the Lambs" she dueled acts with Sir Anthony Hopkins, whereas here, she 'only' trades acts with Terrence Howard. And oh, the ending, i don't like the ending, it actually ruins the experience. But, it's worth my bucks, if you asked me.

My Rating: *** / ****