The Brave One Takes Cinema to Brave New Heights

Throughout her career, Jodie Foster has taken on many roles, from the teenage prostitute in Taxi Driver to Clarice in The Silence of the Lambs to her latest role as Erica Bain, a New Age, radical radio talk show host in The Brave One.

Set in the busy and never stopping New York City, Erica is happily engaged to a doctor, David Kirmani, played by Naveen Andrews (Lost.) About the first ten minutes of the film is filled with lifeless scenes of Erica and David displaying the happiness of their relationship. Even the flashback scenes of Erica and David's love making seem mechanical and just physical. Foster and Andrews have a rather obvious lack of chemistry while on-screen together, but in the scenes where they are talking on the phone some sparks of chemistry are displayed.

For the first ten to fifteen minutes of the film, viewers have to struggle to keep their interest. A senseless conversation takes place between Erica, David and some sort of wedding planner, as Erica is on the phone with David and standing in front of the planner discussing the color of their wedding invitations. In another scene, Erica is at an art show discussing David with a friend. The friend seems increasingly envious of Erica and David's relationship, but her significance is never fully explained, and viewers do not see the friend again until she pops up in another insignificant scene much later in the film, which again is never fully utilized.

The most moving scene of the whole film is when Erica and David take their dog, Curtis, on a walk in the park. Clearly, it is here that the viewer sees the loving relationship between Erica, David and Curtis. However, the moving scene is quickly lost when viewers are left wondering why they chose to walk their dog in the park after dark. Even more surprising is that David throws the ball he is carrying for Curtis, and neither Erica or David seem to wonder why Curtis hasn't come back from retrieving the ball. As they approach the tunnel in the park, it is almost predictable of the scenes yet to come. Bottom line is David is beaten to death, and Erica is beaten within inches of her own life.

As the setting switches to the hospital, where Erica lies in a coma, Detective Mercer, played by Terrance Howard, is introduced, investigating the death of a woman whose only witness may have been her four year old child. Mercer's character is depicted as dedicated and caring, when it comes to his job. He is thorough and to the point when investigating, and it is painfully obvious he does not settle for anything less than justice for the victims of each homicide he investigates. Again, here is where the movie falls a little bit flat, as viewers find out Mercer has gone through a painful divorce and may still harbor strong feelings for his ex-wife.

After Erica wakes up and attempts to return to her life, viewers really get a great chance to see what she is experiencing, as this is where excellent direction and camera panning allows us to see the world through Erica's eyes. As she walks the streets for the first time since her ordeal, viewers can tell she is afraid, but at the same time she is determined never to be a victim again, as purchasing her first gun seems to empower her. Within moments of purchasing the gun, she witnesses a gruesome murder, and even more shocking is her reaction. This is where the vigilante in her is born. Without a blink of the eye or a shake of the hand, she kills a man and shows no remorse. This is very different from the roles we have seen Foster portray.

Foster does an excellent job of portraying a frightened, yet determined victim, who is trying to put her life back together. The turning point in the movie is the scene where Erica tries to return to the airwaves. All the thoughts of her experiences, including her vigilante self, run through her mind, and she finds it difficult to convey a message to her listeners, as she is clearly trying to make sense of it all herself.

Foster and Howard have great chemistry on-screen, as the two become closer when Erica takes an interest in Mercer's work. Both do an excellent job of portraying themselves as victims trying to put their lives back together and go on. Even more captivating is the final scene between Erica and Mercer. Not a typical ending by far... Some viewers were even shocked by the turn of events, as none of the events leading up to the final scene even foreshadowed the ending outcome.

Hollywood is heavily applauded for taking on the task of portraying a female vigilante, or as Detective Mercer so perfectly put it in the movie, "a woman with a grudge..." The vigilante scenes seem to compliment old Charles Bronson films, while the emotional strain and inner conflict Erica experience seem to indicate one of the best "chick flicks," or "tear jerkers" ever. However, the opening scenes with the wedding planner and the friend should have been left on the cutting room floor, as they are boring and pointless. A great place to start would have been Erica and David returning to their apartment after a long day at work to start on the walk with Curtis which changed Erica's life forever.

The Brave One is two hours and two minutes long. It is rated R, for upper female nudity, soft sexual situations, heavy violence with some gore and language. Parents should exercise strong caution, when it comes to judging if the film is right for their children, and they should be prepared to answer a lot of questions, should their children be allowed to see the movie.