The Brave One

My expectation was that this movie was just a remake of 1974's Death Wish. I was wrong.

Director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview With A Vampire, and The End of the Affair) is more known as a teller of creative, artsy, independent films. In a very real way, he tells this story with more creativity, and more art, than one might expect in your typical revenge genre movie. But, therein lies the catch. This movie is atypical.

Jodie Foster (Taxi Driver, Silence of the Lambs, and The Inside Man to pick just a sample) was also Executive Producer, is a complete character here. Totally believable. Totally real. It is oh so easy to put ourselves in her position. Could you?

When her fiance (Naveen Andrews - Sayid of TV's Lost) is killed and she is beaten senseless, Foster's character, a public radio show host, struggles with how to carry on her life. Does she hate what she becomes, or does she love it?

Terrance Howard (Ray, Four Brothers, Crash, and The Hunting Party) plays the cop trying to catch whomever is killing bad guys in Manhattan. This is some of his best work, and in my opinion, he has done some great stuff.

Yes, there are certainly elements of your average revenge genre movie. But there is much more to the characters here. A good person does bad things to bad guys. The difference is how she reacts and how she evolves.

Another interesting thing is the relationship between the cop and the vigilante. The diner scene is very very smart cinema.

Also of interest is how lovingly this movie portrays New York and New Yorkers. Thank you Neil Jordan, for reminding us what a great city this is.

Watch this movie with someone who loves Manhattan, the safest big city on the planet.