Review: ‘The Brave One’
Review: ‘The Brave One’
2 stars out of 5
One the most brilliantly shot yet awkwardly paced films this year, The Brave One is aesthetically pleasing while being saturated with the borderline absurd. Jodi Foster, the crown jewel of the movie, gives a gut-wrenching, vulnerable performance that’s unfortunately overshadowed by pointless and disjointed subplots.
Foster plays Erica Bain, an NPRish type radio host that falls victim to excruciating violence while strolling with her fiancee and dog. Her boyfriend is savagely beaten to death and leaves Erica in critical condition. After the quickest rehab in history, Bane returns to her job and but hardly returns to her life. Dismayed at the lack of empathy and action on her case from the NYPD, she decides to purchase a handgun. Seemingly ordinary, this handgun propels poor Erica into a world of countless life-threatening situations nightly. Enter police detective Mercer (Terrance Howard), an uninteresting and increasingly synthetic cop tasked with working the growing number of vigilante crimes in the city. Meeting through Erica’s radio job, the two become close. As suspicion increases, the relationship becomes almost volatile. As clues seep in from the growing number of vigilante crimes grow, Mercer begins to wonder if Erica has some sort of involvement. Will Mercer take down Erica? Will he get back together with his ex-wife? Why is his ex-wife even there?
Brave One is a tragic film but because of the story. Director Neil Jordan crafts a visually polished and anguish filled piece that falls victim to it’s own script. Why do we care about Detective Mercer’s marriage or the some dirt-bag who is getting custody of some kid? It ties in to nothing and plays absolutely no part on the overall scope of them film. It is nothing more than a distraction from the actual plot. Speaking of actual plots, Brave One’s seems a a bit too coincidental. Erica Bane finds herself in some the most dangerous situations night after night. It’s a bit absurd to think that a person that (presumably) has spent her entire life in New York City, now finds herself embroiled with countless situations that end with her killing a troll. The transformation from NPRish radio host to gun-totting vigilante is too much of a stretch and the plot development does little to ease that pain. If one were to put aside those inconsistencies for a moment to look at the film, the cinematography and angle usage is incredible. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of it. Some of the most vivid and memorable moments occur in this film but thanks to a misguided story, it largely goes unnoticed.
Besides the unbelievable plot, Jodi Foster’s performance is fantastic and is perfectly casted for this role. Her subdued emotion and her physical acting chops speak so much louder than any gun shot heard in the film. The same can not be said for Terrance Howard, who’s unemotional cardboard-cutout performance of a police detective, makes him appear more unconfident than what the role needs. The bond between the two main characters feels rushed and unauthentic. When we finally reach the conclusion of the film, we discover it’s an eye-rolling and non-sequential experience that almost makes us care.
