The Brave One is a 2007 crime-thriller-action film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Zoë Kravitz and Nicky Katt. It was written by Roderick Taylor, Bruce A. Taylor and Cynthia Mort. The film was a box office bomb (keep in mind, Foster got paid $15 million for this film) and reviews were mixed at the time. After all, it's an interesting depiction of post-traumatic stress disorder and of women who don't want to be victims and take action.
Erica Bain (Forster) is a New York radio host who lives an average life. One day, Erica and her husband are attacked by a group of muggers. She is badly wounded and her man is murdered in cold blood by the criminals. After her recovery, she spends most of her time as a vigilante, killing robbers and low lifes with her handgun (one she got from the black market after failing to buy a weapon). Meanwhile, detective Sean Mercer (Terence Howard) is going after the recent acts of vigilantism Erica committed.
This plot right here is essentially a very modernized version of the notorious and controversial seventies film Death Wish, it has pretty much the same structure and themes as a whole, the message of the movie about "justice" is also just as questionable. However, the film wasn't as polemic during its release and was seen as a rather tame entry in the revenge sub genre but one that delivers what it promises when it comes to cheap thrills.
That's certainly a good assessment because The Brave One is sort of a more violent and slightly more socially conscious film than average that manages to create a more gripping experience than the original, making the story be a bit more interiorized and ending up being more emotionally effective and captivating than the other film.
Jodie Foster is great as the vigilante lady, she manages to make you care about such a normal trope of a character with her conviction and acting skills. The supporting actors do their job competently but most of them never actually stick into your mind and some of them are annoying, like the officer who is onto the protagonist's antics. The direction and technical aspects are honestly pretty impressive and well done, always stimulating and dynamic with its editing and camera work.
I could recommend The Brave One if you are up for a decently done action crime film from its era, it doesn't overstay its welcome and has some nice acting moments from Foster but it's nothing particularly special and has several flaws in its logic and its derivative nature is surely tiresome.
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