Review: Intelligent ‘Brave One’ supported with strong cast

Directed by: Neil Jordan

Starring: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews

Rated: R

Anyone who remembers the young Jodie Foster’s performance in Martin Scorsese’s groundbreaking film “Taxi Driver” will surely make connections to her character and some of the plot in director Neil Jordan’s newest film, “The Brave One.”

Foster, like Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver,” becomes a self-appointed protector of what both characters see as “truth, justice and the American way.” Foster’s Erica Bain is not as disturbed as Bickle, but she does find herself pushing the envelope of what she started out believing was simply necessary self-defense.

There are scenes in “The Brave One” that have a lot in common with some of those in David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises.” The violence is up close and personal, not cartoonlike, the way the subject is presented in so many of today’s action films.

Jordan is a skilled director (“The Crying Game,” “Interview with the Vampire”), Foster’s credits are impeccable and co-star Terrence Howard holds his own.

While “The Brave One” makes some very good points – the fact that even though crime rates are down in many major cities, the times in which we are living tend to foster feelings of uneasiness, fear and malaise – there are some plot contrivances in the script by Roderick Taylor, Bruce A. Taylor and Cynthia Mort that stretch the limits of credulity. It’s a good film, but it’s one that is somewhat less than the sum of its parts.

Erica Bain is a talk show host in Manhattan. The character is less overtly sexually motivated than Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City,” but there are similarities. Bain’s public radio show is called “Street Walk.” Her voice has the immediately recognizable qualities of public radio hosts everywhere: mellow and soothing and almost maddeningly reasonable. She walks around New York and compares things such as the “urban renewal” of neighborhoods to the more romantic, genteel notion of what the city has been in its colorful past.

She’s happy and is about to be married to her physician fiancé. In a movie such as this, the more idyllic the set up, the more anxious savvy viewers become. Things this good simply can’t last.

Erica and her boyfriend are walking their dog late one night in Central Park (have they never seen movies like this before?). They are attacked by a gang of young thugs, one with a video camera documenting the murder of Erica’s fiancé and her near death.

After a stint in the hospital, Erica finds herself paralyzed by fear. She hasn’t returned to work and has trouble even leaving her apartment. She finally makes an effort. Her first stop is at a gun shop, where the owner tells her she’ll have to wait 30 days for a permit. She tells him she won’t last 30 days. She takes another route and buys an illegal firearm.

She’s uneasy about carrying it but sooner, rather than later, is forced to use it in a convenience store late one night. She’s shocked by her actions but also somewhat empowered. Situations arise when she “must” kill again, and the police think they have a vigilante on their hands.

The parallel plot involves Detective Sean Mercer (Terrence Howard), who is not only investigating the vigilante killings but a notorious wealthy scum-of-the-earth who obviously killed his wife and has molested his stepdaughter. The guy is a “teflon” sort of character – the cops can’t pin anything on him.

Erica, back at work but with a different slant on things, befriends Mercer under the guise of interviewing him.

When Mr. Teflon is killed with a tire tool through the head, Mercer, who has had suspicions, has put, we believe, two and two together. Foster and Howard make a great team; there’s not only an obvious bond but an underlying tension between their characters.

The grand finale is not completely telegraphed beforehand and takes a few twists here and there, but after thinking it over, it’s one of the types of scenes that will make you think, “That’s a little too convenient.” But it doesn’t necessarily spoil the movie.

People spot the “Taxi Driver” connection, while in actuality it’s the Charles Bronson “Death Wish” films that provide the inspiration for “The Brave One.” However, Jordan’s movie, even with its problems, is a better, more intelligent film. If you miss it at the theater, it will make a good night of home viewing when it’s released in the winter.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.[[In-content Ad]]