Review of: The Brave One

The Brave One is pretty much a 2 man movie, but it was a pleasant surprise. Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard (and his partner to some extent) dominate every reel of film in this one. And I don't mention this as a negative. Both give amazing performances.

This was one of those movies that comes out and I just go "uggh, that looks horrible" and I never give it a shot. However, lately I've been hitting up On Demand to find some movies that I'd otherwise not pay to see in the theater or even pay to rent. In this case, I'm glad I gave it a shot.

Jodie Foster, as unattractive as ever, actually plays the role of cold-blooded vigilante killer to an almost believable level. Getting back to my first point, I can't imagine the type of person that finds foster attractive. She is one of those few women (or men for that matter) that fit into that weird third category of person. Basically she is just a thing, for lack of a better word. There isn't anything remotely attractive about her, but for some reason that doesn't diminish her acting ability.

The movie starts out with Foster and my number one Lostie, Sayid (or Naveen Andrews) taking their dog out for a walk. They meet some unexpected thugs out on the street and without giving away too much, this was the incident that pushed Foster into her vigilante role. At some points in the movie, I asked my wife if Foster was actually Batman.

Howard plays a recently divorced detective who seems to care a lot about his job and protecting people. I thought he was excellent in this role and didn't overplay one scene he was in. I was actually questioning why his wife divorced him in the first place as he seemed a well-adjusted guy with a decent job and seemingly good personality. I finally just chalked it up to the directors wanting to add a little sexual tension between him and Foster and it worked better that he was single.

Even with the vigilante stuff that would probably seem very unbelievable in real life, the movie never really felt that out of touch. They never pushed the killing too far or emphasized Foster as some sort of superhero and in the end, I think that's what helped the movie work. As for the ending, it was very well done and actually probably the most satisfying resolution you could have wanted once you sit through this one.

All in all, a pretty decent flick and it gets a well deserved Guilty verdict.

If you have the time, I definitely suggest going out and renting this one.