Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The Brave One
****½ The Brave One. Drama.
Directed by: Neil Jordan.
Starring: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Mary Steenburgen, Naveen Andrews
Carl and I saw this, sans offspring, at the Hercules. I was a little dubious about it initially, worried that it would be a tear-jerker. It wasn't.
It also wasn't a revenge/action movie, though that's definitely part of it.
Erica Bain's (Jodie Foster) fiance David (Naveen Andrews) is killed in front of her, and The Brave One is the story of how she deals with that. She buys herself a gun to feel safer, and then finds herself courting danger with the gun for protection, and finally becoming a vigilante.
But it's not something she sets out to do--she's not trying to be a superhero, and she's not reveling in the violence or even remotely feeling good about it--she's just trying to feel safe.
Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard) is the detective on her fiance's case, and ultimately on her own, and he plays a sounding board, conscience, and catalyst.
Gah. I'm having a terrible time describing this movie. It's always so much easier to say what I don't like than what I do.
One scene that sticks in my mind is when Erica is in the emergency room, the action is interposed with a love scene between her and David. It's visually poignant and powerful. And there are a lot of similarly powerful scenes.
Okay, I give up. Bottom line: I loved the movie. I'll be looking for the DVD.
...more
Categories: Movies, 4.5stars, Drama
Labels: 4.5 stars, drama, Movies
