DVD Release
David and Erica are on top of the world as they plan to take their relationship to the next level and get married. It appears as though nothing can come between them until an innocent walk in the park ends in tragedy when they’re both attacked and severely beaten by gang members; Erica barely survives her injuries but her fiancé David dies. Instead of mourning the loss and moving on with her life, Erica purchases a gun off the street and begins trolling for scum to blow away.
Solid Acting? Check. Jaw-dropping violence? Check. Jodie Foster looking exceptionally well for her age? Check. Hmm, this sounds like a winner, doesn’t it? Well, believe it or not…it is. The Brave One is a believable and effective revenge thriller that’s highly reminiscent of 1974’s Death Wish. In my opinion, Death Wish is a classic and Bronson is the man’s man to end all man’s men but Jodie Foster acts circles around Bronson and, let’s be honest, is far better looking. Does that mean this is a better film? I wouldn’t say its better but it’s a damn good film nonetheless.
Anybody noticing a trend developing in cinema these last few years in which the old is, once again, becoming the new? At one time, the very idea that we’d see revenge thrillers like The Brave One, Death Sentence or Descent again was mind-blowing because these kinds of films lost their acceptability amongst t civilized moviegoers long ago. Revenge thrillers are like the bell bottoms and baby Jane shoes of cinema, they just don’t die. I hope we see more like The Brave One in the future.
The Brave One kicked ass, it really did. It wasn’t amazing but I let out some audible gasps while watching this as well as a “Holy Shit!” once or twice and that spells entertainment in my book. It’s never going to be a classic or anything but nu-sploitation films like this and Death Sentence have really put a smile on my face. If you haven’t seen The Brave One, do so. Foster may walk soft (and occasionally manly) but she carries a very lethal stick.
