The Brave One (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
The Brave One is a 2007 crime-drama
/psychological thriller
film directed by Neil Jordan
, produced by Joel Silver
, and starring Jodie Foster
. It was released in the United States
on September 14, 2007. The film earned Foster a Golden Globe nomination for leading actress in a drama.
) and her Indian fiancé David (Naveen Andrews
) are walking their dog at Stranger's Gate in New York
's Central Park
, they are attacked by three violent criminals. David dies from his injuries, but Erica survives. Angry and traumatized
, she attempts to purchase a gun. Unwilling to wait the month required to obtain a notice of approval, she acquires a pistol illegally, and is drawn into a world of vigilantism, killing random criminals and attempting to track down the thugs who killed David.
She strikes up a friendship with Detective Sean Mercer (Terrence Howard
), who is investigating the vigilante crimes and initially unaware of her role in the deaths, though over the course of the film he comes to suspect her as the killer. At the climax of the film, she finds and confronts the thugs responsible for the murder of David. She kills two, finding and releasing her dog in the process and struggles with the third. Mercer arrives on the scene and has the thug go prone
. Erica then retrieves her weapon and attempts to execute the thug. Mercer convinces Erica to lower the gun, but hands her his own in order for her to use a legal weapon to kill the last thug.
She does and Mercer then instructs her to shoot him in the shoulder so he can make up a story that the thugs were the ones who went on the vigilante killing spree, until he tracked them down, the gunshot being a result of the confrontation. He places Erica's gun in the last thug's dead hand and Erica leaves the scene, eventually being rejoined by her dog.
, 43 percent of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 175 reviews. On Metacritic
, the film had an average score of 56 out of 100, based on 33 reviews. Yahoo!
movie ratings give it a "B-" from critics (14 reviews).
Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the film 3 stars (out of 4); saying Foster and Howard "are perfectly modulated in the kinds of scenes difficult for actors to play, where they both know more than they're saying, and they both know it."
and Canada
, the film was #1 at the box office, grossing US$13,471,488 in 2,755 theaters. As of December 29, 2007, the film has grossed $69,675,545 worldwide—$36,793,804 in the United States and Canada and $32,881,741 in other territories.
nomination when the nominees for the 65th Golden Globe Awards
were announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
. Foster was nominated for Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Drama.
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
/psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
film directed by Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award for The Crying Game.- Early life :...
, produced by Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
, and starring Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
. It was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on September 14, 2007. The film earned Foster a Golden Globe nomination for leading actress in a drama.
Plot
As radio show host Erica Bain (Jodie FosterJodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
) and her Indian fiancé David (Naveen Andrews
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) are walking their dog at Stranger's Gate in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, they are attacked by three violent criminals. David dies from his injuries, but Erica survives. Angry and traumatized
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
, she attempts to purchase a gun. Unwilling to wait the month required to obtain a notice of approval, she acquires a pistol illegally, and is drawn into a world of vigilantism, killing random criminals and attempting to track down the thugs who killed David.
She strikes up a friendship with Detective Sean Mercer (Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
), who is investigating the vigilante crimes and initially unaware of her role in the deaths, though over the course of the film he comes to suspect her as the killer. At the climax of the film, she finds and confronts the thugs responsible for the murder of David. She kills two, finding and releasing her dog in the process and struggles with the third. Mercer arrives on the scene and has the thug go prone
Prone position
The term means to lie on bed or ground in a position with chest downwards and back upwards.-Etymology :The word "prone," meaning "naturally inclined to something, apt, liable," has been recorded in English since 1382; the meaning "lying face-down" was first recorded in 1578, but is also referred to...
. Erica then retrieves her weapon and attempts to execute the thug. Mercer convinces Erica to lower the gun, but hands her his own in order for her to use a legal weapon to kill the last thug.
She does and Mercer then instructs her to shoot him in the shoulder so he can make up a story that the thugs were the ones who went on the vigilante killing spree, until he tracked them down, the gunshot being a result of the confrontation. He places Erica's gun in the last thug's dead hand and Erica leaves the scene, eventually being rejoined by her dog.
Cast
- Jodie FosterJodie FosterAlicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
as Erica Bain - Naveen AndrewsNaveen AndrewsNaveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
as David Kirmani - Terrence HowardTerrence HowardTerrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
as Detective Sean Mercer - Nicky KattNicky KattNicholas Lea "Nicky" Katt is an American actor known for his role as unorthodox teacher Harry Senate on David E. Kelley's Fox drama Boston Public.-Career:...
as Detective Vitale - Zoë KravitzZoe KravitzZoë Isabella Kravitz is an American actress, singer and model. She is the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet. She has appeared in the films The Brave One with Jodie Foster, and No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones...
as Chloe - Mary SteenburgenMary SteenburgenMary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
as Carol - Jane AdamsJane Adams (actress)Jane Adams is an American film, television and theatre actress.- Early life :Adams was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Janice, an administrative assistant, and William Adams, an engineer. She has a younger brother, Jonathan, and was raised in Wheaton, Illinois and Bellevue, Washington...
as Nicole - Dana EskelsonDana EskelsonDana Erika Eskelson is an American television, film, and theatre actress.-Filmography:*Singles *Exiled: A Law & Order Movie *Cold Creek Manor *The Brave One -TV series:...
as Sketch Artist - Julia Garro as Shauna Nelson
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of September 2008 on the review aggregate website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 43 percent of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 175 reviews. On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film had an average score of 56 out of 100, based on 33 reviews. Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
movie ratings give it a "B-" from critics (14 reviews).
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the film 3 stars (out of 4); saying Foster and Howard "are perfectly modulated in the kinds of scenes difficult for actors to play, where they both know more than they're saying, and they both know it."
Box office
In its opening weekend in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the film was #1 at the box office, grossing US$13,471,488 in 2,755 theaters. As of December 29, 2007, the film has grossed $69,675,545 worldwide—$36,793,804 in the United States and Canada and $32,881,741 in other territories.
Awards and nominations
The film received one Golden GlobeGolden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nomination when the nominees for the 65th Golden Globe Awards
65th Golden Globe Awards
The 65th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2007, were scheduled to be presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on January 13, 2008...
were announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is an organization composed of working journalists who cover the United States film industry for a variety of outlets, including newspapers and magazines in Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Today, the 90 members of the HFPA represent at least 55...
. Foster was nominated for Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Drama.
External links
- The Brave One "Restricted" Trailer - Film trailer at IGN.com
- DVD Talk on The Brave One