By Sara Pintilie/entertainment editor
Jodie Foster’s latest, The Brave One, is an entertaining addition to her impressive filmography.
Talk show jock Erica Bain (Silence of the Lambs’ Foster) and her fiancé David (Lost’s Naveen Andrews) fall victim to a bunch of thugs looking for a fight.
Bain survives but David doesn’t, and somehow during the beating, the hoodlums manage to steal her dog (that’s why the TV spot showcases that horrible one-liner).
To handle her loss and her new-found fear of the outside world, she buys a gun as a glorified security blanket.
But after an incident at a convenience store, she walks out, unscathed, with a warm gun and a certain twisted pride because she has stopped the man trying to kill her.
That pride becomes confidence and that confidence like an infection as her crimes become more and more severe.
Detective Mercer (Hustle and Flow’s Terrence Howard) is investigating these vigilante crimes as he also befriends Bain.
The film is a superb showcase of character development.
Jodie Foster is the perfect candidate for tortured leading lady and doesn’t disappoint.
She brings humility to her character and never lets her persona slip into the realm of stereotypes.
I liked how Bain struggles with her decisions throughout the movie.
Though I found this movie entertaining, I had some problems with it.
First off, this film has the same problem The Lookout does.
Great characters and a great premise, but when the second half is trying to play out, all the pieces fall together way too nicely.
I actually did not like the way everything ended in The Brave One.
But the first half of the movie kept me from writing off the film completely.
Second, at parts, the pace is dragged down by melodrama.
Instead of sympathizing with her, I shrugged it off and wanted the scene to change.
But that being said, I did like the performances of the protagonist and her supporting cast.
Andrews is always a pleasant surprise to see in films even if it is only for 10 minutes.
Howard is a great choice to offset the plucky Foster. His mellow, but thoughtful demeanor anchors Foster from going too far into a melodramatic state.
The Brave One is a good film for character development, but I wasn’t too impressed with the slightly Count of Monte Cristo aspect of revenge.
This movie is worth a matinee for still-curious movie goers, but skip it for the evening show.
