I hoped for this movie to be good. I thought to myself, “The vigilante deal has been done and done – I’d like it to be done better.” With a fairly original premise and an accomplished lead, I had hopes. But I didn’t know the work of the director, and I hadn’t seen a trailer in over a month or so, so I didn’t know what kind of film to expect.
I wasn’t just pleased, I was moved.
This is the kind of review where I want to write one big, long, raving paragraph saying that nearly every aspect of this movie was engaging and beautiful. In private writing… sure. But that’s not what you’re here for, so I’ll take it step by step.
The film is about a woman who is happy. She’s trusting of the world and has no reason to fear; no comprehension of evil. She has a loving fiancé, and a loyal dog. She’s got the whole of New York tuned into her weekly radio monologue on the state of things as she sees them - she’s “Just interesting,” as one character puts it.
I’ve tried to write something on this line like “Everything inevitably changes,” but it’d come out wrong, so I’ll just say it bluntly: Her husband is beaten to death, her dog is taken from her, and she is left for dead, awakening from a coma three weeks later. Her life, her soul, her heart, do not arise from the bed with her.
For the first few minutes, I’ll admit, I was skeptical. She seemed almost in an otherworldly state of happiness and content. As I got further down the line, I realized that this was purposefully executed, not for shock value when the Incident occurs, but to show that while we see the news and stress over the way we’re living, we are truly ignorant in a personal sense. The term “It can’t happen to me” was never uttered in the film, which I appreciated. It doesn’t need to be stated, since the Cloud 9 euphoria of the introduction will, of course, lead to the inevitable change of tone.
I forget where I heard it, but this reminds me of a tidbit in regards to the Gamera movies – While Gamera looks like A Giant Turtle, the T-Word is never uttered throughout the series, adding another layer of believability to the work. The same philosophy is at work here: The audience knows what kind of movie this is, and the obvious doesn’t need to be stated.
I haven’t really gotten to why I loved this movie so much, though. In short, the dialogue is masterful and touching, with beautifully crafted dialogues between Jodie Foster and Terrance Howard, both of which give multi-tiered, award-worthy performances. Really, the only true fault in the script is a mid-way lapse in logic, which I’ll leave for you to discover and think about for yourselves.
On a personal note, a good script doesn’t always guarantee my recommendation by itself; I usually need some originality in the visual and aural presentation. The Brave One doesn’t fail here, either. The sometimes swooping, sometimes creeping, always captivating photography is at times breathtaking, and the subtle lack of sharpness and clarity in the picture is fitting of the material. And for a film with guns, the shots fired are often deafening, breaking tense silences with a care and precision most wouldn’t even notice.
A film with a mostly been-there plot, somehow manages to captivate and show frequent sparks of beauty and originality. If you can’t find appeal in the direction, writing or acting in The Brave One, I don’t want to know what your favorite movie is. If I ever ask you, refer me back to here. Thank you.
"The Brave One" opens September 14, 2007 and is rated R. Drama. Directed by Neil Jordan. Written by Roderick Taylor, Bruce A. Taylor, Cynthia Mort. Starring Jodie Foster, Mary Steenburgen, Naveen Andrews, Terrence Howard.
