The Brave One is a terrible movie even though it does have a pretty good ending. I give credit to the ending, but it isn’t nearly enough to salvage the film. So I can’t recommend you see this; it would be asking you to waste two hours of your life for a fun five minutes.
The plot of The Brave One is a woman looking for vengeance. Jodie Foster is beaten to a pulp and her fiancee is killed (this is given away in every single ad for this movie) so she’s left super angry. Oddly, Jodie’s job is as a self-described “streetwalker.” No, not a prostitute, the term “streetwalking” comes from her radio show involving the recording of sounds from around New York City. Jodie then plays them on the air while she describes them which causes sleepiness (note: her goal on the fictional radio program was probably to entertain, but really just inflicted boredom). Now, would a radio personality stick around a city where her guy was brutally murdered? Evidently, yes. It’s also worth noting that you should probably never go into a dark tunnel after your dog, just as a general practice.
The problems with the movie are early and often. Logic, innovation, dialogue — you name it, it’s a bit lacking. On the other hand, you may find some giggles in how the movie gets from plot point to plot point. An example would be the portrayal of NYC. It’s not so good. Violence seems to break out at random intervals so that Jodie Foster can loose her 9 milli. This is a place where folks throw around terms like “knife-rape.” Essentially what we have here is one giant reason to never travel to New York City. If that was the goal, I salute them.
But if the goal was to entertain this movie is sorely lacking. It’s boring as hell. You’ve seen every scene this film has to offer, you’ve heard every line of dialogue, and you’ve endured every manipulative method. Even Terrence Howard, who is a Golden God, can’t salvage the nastiness. He plays the streetwise detective who becomes pals with Jodie (coincidence city!) though he’s not smooth enough to figure out that’s she’s clearly gone on a killing rampage. The audience I was with really loved when the movie banged them over the head with “clues” — it helped them feel like part of the detective squad, but if you’ve ever seen and enjoyed something classic like Seven, Memento, or The Usual Suspects you’re going to find very little suspense here. But as I said before, you’ll get some chuckles if you go with a friend. Unfortunately the marketing hasn’t capitalized on the angle of “The first great comedy of the fall season!” Poster art, here I come.
Don’t see this. I figure you weren’t going to anyway, if you’re reading this site you’re probably brighter than the general public, so the trailer has turned you off already. That’s a good thing. In the case of The Brave One what you see is exactly what you get. A lackluster effort that makes us all a little dumber for having seen it.
