Scan and Pan
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The Brave One
Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) and her fiancé David (Naveen Andrews) are viciously attacked by thugs while walking through Central Park late at night. Erica survives, but David is killed. When Erica is released from the hospital, she illegally purchases a firearm for protection. After she witnesses a man murder his wife, she's forced to kill him in self-defense. Feeling strangely empowered by this act, she embarks on a career as a vigilante while also developing a friendship with Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard), who begins to suspect that she's responsible for the shooting deaths of several criminals.
Director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire) has certainly made more meaningful films, but his career has always veered between personal films and more commercial Hollywood productions. In this case, Jordan seems unsure of whether he's making a film that explores the destructive nature of revenge or a film that revels in it, but it's as much a struggle between trying to be thoughtful about the subject matter and the film's commercial aspirations.
One thing can be said with certainty. Jordan successfully takes us into Erica's world and allows us to see through her eyes. When Erica finally leaves her apartment for the first time after returning from the hospital, she's consumed by anxiety and paranoia, and Jordan effectively induces a collective case of PTSD in the audience as well. While the violence isn't as gruesome as in other recent films, it's still sudden and lurid.
The screenplay by Roderick Taylor (American Outlaws), Bruce A. Taylor (Instant Karma), and Cynthia Mort (whose previous credits include writing episodes of television sitcoms Roseanne and Will & Grace) is essentially a distaff version of Death Wish, but it also has a level of characterization usually lacking in the genre. It vividly depicts how each act of violence committed by Erica slowly eats away at her. She's as permanently scarred by them as she is by the violence committed against her and her fiancé. Revenge is a nasty business and the film doesn't shy away from this. Sometimes, though, it wants us to cheer her on as she exorcizes her personal demons with a gun. It's both a cautionary tale and an exploitation film.
Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot (Interview with the Vampire, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) uses expressive lighting and a prowling camera to create a sense of paranoia that mirrors the main character's psychological state. The score by Dario Marianelli (The Brothers Grimm, V for Vendetta) adds to the dramatic tension.
Foster delivers an intense performance that transcends the exploitative aspects of the story. While she seems to only take on 'women in distress' roles at this point in her career, this film reminds you that she's a fine actress who can bring gravity and depth to her characters. Howard is compelling as a lonely but driven police detective who wants to believe that he'll always follow the law, but his friendship with a woman he has growing suspicions of begins to challenge that. Foster and Howard have good chemistry and it's refreshing to see a film where the opposite sex leads aren't required to be romantically linked.
Andrews takes time away from his role on television's Lost to play Erica's ill-fated fiancé, and he makes the most of his limited screen time. The rest of the cast is also solid, including Nicky Katt as Mercer's sarcastic partner, Mary Steenburgen as Erica's boss, Dana Eskelson as a police sketch artist, and John Magaro as a stoner who witnesses the precursor to one of Erica's attacks.
With the release of Death Sentence a few weeks ago, the revenge fantasy genre seems to be making a comeback. Both films have strong lead performances and are inclined to show the consequences of their protagonist's actions. The Brave One could have been better had it tried to be a serious drama or a revenge fantasy instead of both, but it's certainly satisfying enough on both levels.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
Can a revenge fantasy with Jodie Foster as a gun-wielding urban vigilante instead of Charles Bronson really work? The answer is yes.
Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) and her fiancé David (Naveen Andrews) are viciously attacked by thugs while walking through Central Park late at night. Erica survives, but David is killed. When Erica is released from the hospital, she illegally purchases a firearm for protection. After she witnesses a man murder his wife, she's forced to kill him in self-defense. Feeling strangely empowered by this act, she embarks on a career as a vigilante while also developing a friendship with Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard), who begins to suspect that she's responsible for the shooting deaths of several criminals.
Director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire) has certainly made more meaningful films, but his career has always veered between personal films and more commercial Hollywood productions. In this case, Jordan seems unsure of whether he's making a film that explores the destructive nature of revenge or a film that revels in it, but it's as much a struggle between trying to be thoughtful about the subject matter and the film's commercial aspirations.
One thing can be said with certainty. Jordan successfully takes us into Erica's world and allows us to see through her eyes. When Erica finally leaves her apartment for the first time after returning from the hospital, she's consumed by anxiety and paranoia, and Jordan effectively induces a collective case of PTSD in the audience as well. While the violence isn't as gruesome as in other recent films, it's still sudden and lurid.
The screenplay by Roderick Taylor (American Outlaws), Bruce A. Taylor (Instant Karma), and Cynthia Mort (whose previous credits include writing episodes of television sitcoms Roseanne and Will & Grace) is essentially a distaff version of Death Wish, but it also has a level of characterization usually lacking in the genre. It vividly depicts how each act of violence committed by Erica slowly eats away at her. She's as permanently scarred by them as she is by the violence committed against her and her fiancé. Revenge is a nasty business and the film doesn't shy away from this. Sometimes, though, it wants us to cheer her on as she exorcizes her personal demons with a gun. It's both a cautionary tale and an exploitation film.
Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot (Interview with the Vampire, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) uses expressive lighting and a prowling camera to create a sense of paranoia that mirrors the main character's psychological state. The score by Dario Marianelli (The Brothers Grimm, V for Vendetta) adds to the dramatic tension.
Foster delivers an intense performance that transcends the exploitative aspects of the story. While she seems to only take on 'women in distress' roles at this point in her career, this film reminds you that she's a fine actress who can bring gravity and depth to her characters. Howard is compelling as a lonely but driven police detective who wants to believe that he'll always follow the law, but his friendship with a woman he has growing suspicions of begins to challenge that. Foster and Howard have good chemistry and it's refreshing to see a film where the opposite sex leads aren't required to be romantically linked.
Andrews takes time away from his role on television's Lost to play Erica's ill-fated fiancé, and he makes the most of his limited screen time. The rest of the cast is also solid, including Nicky Katt as Mercer's sarcastic partner, Mary Steenburgen as Erica's boss, Dana Eskelson as a police sketch artist, and John Magaro as a stoner who witnesses the precursor to one of Erica's attacks.
With the release of Death Sentence a few weeks ago, the revenge fantasy genre seems to be making a comeback. Both films have strong lead performances and are inclined to show the consequences of their protagonist's actions. The Brave One could have been better had it tried to be a serious drama or a revenge fantasy instead of both, but it's certainly satisfying enough on both levels.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
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