Movie Review: The Brave One

What would you have done, if in a moment, your whole world were violently shattered, and you lost a loved one in the process? Would you have let the law do the talking, or taken the law into your hands? Well, in The Brave One, it seems that violence begets violence, and is apparently the cure to get over the loss of a loved one.

The plot revolves around a young, engaged couple: Erica (Jodie Foster) and David (Naveen Andrews) who are looking forward to their wedding. However, their happiness is cruelly trampled upon when they become victims of a senseless act of violence by a gang of motiveless thugs who brutally beat the couple and even indulge in video-taping their act with sadistic pleasure.

Three weeks later, Erica wakes up in a hospital bed only to find out that her fiancée is dead. Paralysed by fear, to the point of paranoia, she hits rock bottom one day, and decides that she will no longer be a victim, and thinks of buying a gun to protect herself. Before long, Erika gets her first taste of vigilante violence when a guy with a gun enters a convenience store.

Soon, she is well into the game, appointing herself as an executioner of the gang bangers. So adept does she become that she is easily able to converse with a police detective (Terrence Howard) in charge of investigating the series of killings, without giving herself away. Initially, she’s able to justify her actions, but soon as the body toll increases, her conscience gets the better of her, and she’s forced to come to terms with it all.

Performance wise, Jodie Foster and Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard are fantastic, each complementing the other, upping each other’s game and delivering intense, power-packed performances. Foster does a fantastic job of displaying Erica’s heartbreak, psychological breakdown, determination, and even courage.

The Brave One is more than just a revenge thriller. It’s a thought-provoking examination of how a senseless act of violence can change a normal woman into someone driven to committing dangerous acts in order to survive, and overcome fear.