may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!' ~ Maya Angelou
As I set out for my cinematic fix, I scroll through my PVR list until a title
talks to me. 'The Brave One' a 2007 film by Neil Jordan ('The Crying Game'
(1992), 'The Good Thief' (2002)... another gem) about the safest big city…
New York.
There are certain actresses that I admire, who time and time again, deliver
first-rate, top-notch performances…regardless of the role, the movie or the
quality of the writing. One that keeps making me smile is Jodie Foster, think
'Panic Room' (2002), need I say more. I saw her in a film some time ago, I
won't mention the film, but it was a minor part in a forgettable movie... but
she turned her bit part in the only thing I remember about that fiasco.
'The Brave One' exploits middle-class fears about urban crime and violence.
Radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) keeps announcing 'The Safest Big City'
On her show as an intro to her daily segments about the inner city titled 'Street
Walker'. About her (Erica Bain) moves about the city and records sounds of
anything that tickles her fancy... and then narrates on her show while it plays
in the background.
With an A-list director at the helm and top-flight talent the plot engages when
good people make the mistake of crossing into a land where rules of civilized
behaviour do not apply. Erica has a wonderful life she loves and her fiancé,
Dr. David Zirmani (Naveen Andrews 'Lost' (2004–2010) which she adores. She's
even gone out to pick invitations for their nuptials because his mother loves
that. One evening, while walking the dog in Central Park, he distractedly throws
a ball into a darkened tunnel. Predictably, they subsequently venture forth into
this isolated structure to discover what has become of the animal. A group of
lowlifes step from the shadows, beat them to a pulp, rob the couple and leave
them for dead. She awakens from a coma twenty-one days later to a radically
changed world, and a dead fiancé. Also to her shock, discovers from the good
doctor's mother, they went ahead with the funeral, unaware if she would ever
awaken.
Unable to move past the tragedy, she can't seem to leave her apartment. The
woman, who hosted the talk show that extols the joys of New York City, now
fears that very place. Eventually, she convinces herself to purchase a firearm,
and begins prowling the city streets at night to track down the men she holds
responsible. The weapon is suppose to be for protection only, but one night in
a convenience store in a strange case of self-defense, she takes her first step
in her transformation into an urban hunter. This is the turning point, and why
her talent is undeniable.
The two-time Oscar winner for 'The Accused' (1988) & 'Silence of the Lambs'
(1991), exudes mesmerizing intensity in her transformation from frightened
victim to vigilante, and it's all there, as clear as day, on the screen. She
projected it so well that you understand at that precise moment, which was
short of an epiphany, what true talent is. That is a calibre above the fray,
and Jodie Foster is in that rarefied air.
Her dark pursuit of justice catches the public's attention, and the city is
riveted by her anonymous exploits. Soon, the tabloids are full of the escapades
of this local hero. Erica is wracked by guilt, but has enough presence of mind
to cover the case on her show and to befriend Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard
'Empire (2015– ), a good cop who believes in the justice system, who takes
charge of the investigation, vowing to catch someone he regards as no better
than the murdered criminals. He says, "The vigilante disgusts me." Being hot
on her trail, she must decide whether her quest for revenge is truly the right
path, or if she is becoming the very thing she is trying to stop.
As a general rule, I don't reveal endings, but in this case I'm making an
exception. At the conclusion of her righteous killing spree, Erica tracks down
the ringleader of the gang who killed her fiancé and Detective Mercer helps
her kill him, even taking a bullet himself in order to ensure she's never caught.
'The Brave One' may raise the question whether Erica's actions are right or
wrong, whether in some case the right thing to do is to get out of harm's way
or not put oneself in jeopardy, etc., but that everyone deserves what they get
is pretty much a foregone conclusion. By confronting Erica with uniformly
despicable thugs who consistently present a clear and present danger to Erica
and to others, 'The Brave One' makes their murders as gratifying as possible
to the viewer. Jodie Foster has suggested in interviews that the film is anti-
violence, and I wouldn't be surprised if Neil Jordan agrees as well.
* From Where I Sit!
www.fromwhereisit.co
May 15, 2015
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