Jodie Foster Brings Vigilante to Life on the Big Screen
The Brave One starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard delivers a spellbinding and fierce performance by both actors. It is an edge of the seat thriller that leaves you breathless. Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) becomes alive on the big screen and her acting is magnetic. She transforms herself from a victim who lives in fear to a vigilante who won’t allow the fear to ever take hold of her again.
The movie begins with her narration as a talk show radio host speaking of her life experience and introducing herself in the overture of the movie. The calmness and articulation in her voice give you the impression she is a laid back woman with a normal life, which she is, until one day a twist of fate steps in and takes hold of her life. While walking in Central Park with her boyfriend, she witnesses two thugs brutally attack and beat him. It isn’t until almost 3 weeks later when she wakes up in a hospital after being in a coma that she finds out he did not survive. From here on, the action ensues. She returns to her house where she mostly spends time in the dark while emotionally recovering. There are flashbacks of the passionate times shared with her boyfriend, as well as the night she witnessed him be beaten. The times she spends in the darkness is a reflection of her pain, grief and suffering before she decides to take matters into her own hands.
While wandering the streets of New York since her accident, she becomes unfamiliar with the city she thought she once knew. She never understood the concept of fear until she faced it. She never understood what it meant to be a victim, until she became one. After finally gaining the courage to be out in the city once again after her recovery from a brutal assault, she buys a 9mm gun from a man on the street. Shortly after, she coincidently finds herself again face to face with an act of violence in a local deli. She witnesses a murderous husband quarreling with his wife who also happens to be a convenience store robber. This is the first we witness her deciding that justice must be brought. She uses her gun, opens fire and kills the man. This is the first of many murders she commits. As she wanders about the streets of New York, she continually notices threats and spots random criminals performing acts of violence on innocent people. One by one, she takes them down. It is during these times of rage, she struggles with the idea of rationalizing her own behavior, while keeping a low profile from the authorities. It appears that she is coming to terms with this stranger that lives inside her and brings up an interesting point of how her hands never shake when killing someone. She begins to question her form of justice when she attempts to turn herself in to a local police station as someone who committed a homicide. In this scene, we hear the desperation in her voice and it makes the viewer wonder if these acts of rage are not guilt free or are they a result of a psychotic breakdown?
Shortly after, we are introduced to the friendship that slowly develops between homicide detective Sean Mercer (Terrence Howard) and Erica Bain. He becomes her confidant as she interviews him for her radio talk show and they each begin to share their story. It doesn’t become apparent until much later on in the movie if he can really pinpoint that she is the one responsible for so many being dead. Although, he does notice a common pattern when all the people found are shot and killed by the same type of gun. His partner in the movie, played by Nick Katt, adds a sense of humor which is much needed during the darkness and violent bloodbaths witnessed throughout. I do not want to give away any more of the movie because for those who plan to see it, I wouldn’t want to spoil the ending. I will say that it has some very interesting connotations to it, and really raises the questions as to how far would you go to seek justice, and how far would go for a friend? Is there a stranger inside all of us waiting to be unleashed that is capable of doing this, but we are just unconsciously aware of it? The only objection I had to this movie was how it seemed to glorify the idea of New York City being such a high crime area. Yes, there are murders, and acts of rage committed, but isn’t that everywhere? There are many other cities in the United States with a high crime rate and even less of a population. Check it out for yourself, and see the attached link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate
Aside from the statistic report, I would give this movie 5 stars across the board. For those of you who enjoy an edge of your seat thriller, and have an appreciation for fine acting, this is a must see. Watching this movie, I call tell you the emotions I felt were anger, sorrow, pain, revenge but also relief and happiness. It portrays a message that no matter how good you think you are, there is always someone better out there who will find you. Where there is evil, good will always prevail.
Enjoy!
Reference:
- the brave one, justice, new york city crime, acting, vigilante
