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Capone wants to talk about Neil Jordan's THE BRAVE ONE!!!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
A pattern has emerged in Jodie Foster's choice of roles, in case you hadn't noticed. Her last three starring roles (PANIC ROOM, FLIGHTPLAN, and now THE BRAVE ONE) have all involved her being victimized in some way and then physically fighting back. Granted, you could trace her choice in such parts back to THE ACCUSED and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, but those films don't quite match the formula of the most recent ones. Foster has mastered these parts so perfectly, she even has a "fighting-back" face, something of a cross between pure fear and and an ecstatic adrenaline rush. Don't get me wrong, I love her in these three films (PANIC ROOM is a claustrophobic masterpiece), and I get excited whenever Foster decides to make a movie at all, which seems to be less and less these days. Is lesser acting hands, THE BRAVE ONE might have been an inexcusable mess, but Foster and her equally strong co-stars bring a weight and importance to this work that made me care about these characters even when what they are doing at times seems terribly wrong.
Foster plays Erica, a carefree New York radio host who lives something of an idealized hippie lifestyle with her fiance David (Naveen Andrews of "Lost") and tells stories on the radio about the city she loves. It's actually kind of nice to see them just be a normal couple, preparing for their wedding, living their lives never really being scared of the big city they live in. That all changes one night in Central Park where they are both brutally beaten by a gang of young thugs. Erica survives the attack, although she's hospitalized for weeks; David is not so lucky. Erica struggles to rebuild a life by herself, but she's also clearly suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Every stranger that walks near her or unfamiliar sound sends waves of fear through her. She attempts to go to the police to get updates on her boyfriend's death, but she's essentially ignored.
A detective named Mercer (Terrence Howard), who knows her from her radio show, takes pity on her and attempts to do a little investigating on his own, and the two form something of an uneasy alliance. But THE BRAVE ONE isn't about a woman finding new love after a great loss; this is a film about revenge, and no actress on the planet does unfiltered rage better than Foster. Erica buys an illegal gun; she thinks it will make her feel safe as she walks through the city she now fears. She lands up in a convenience store when an armed robbery takes place, and she deals with it. She is accosted by three dangerous men on the subway, and she deals with it. She spots an underage prostitute (played by Zoe Kravitz, daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet) and deals with the girl's pimp. Clearly she's building up the courage and skill to go after her attackers, the men who murdered her lover. Mercer is, at first, oblivious to the connection between these crimes and his new best friend, but he begins to suspect things enough to give her veiled warnings that he will choose the job over a friendship if he has to.
I've certainly seen Foster play scared and nervous before, but I can't recall a film in which I've seen her so enraged. And it's her all-too-believable anger that sucked me into this film. After stumbling through a couple of none-too-impressive films in the last year or so, Terrence Howard finally turns in a performance that fulfills the promise he made with his work in CRASH and HUSTLE & FLOW. (Howard is actually having a great monthk; be sure to read my review of THE HUNTING PARTY next week.) Mercer is a thoughtful man who uses his eyes and his brain before he opens his mouth or acts. His cautionary ways come back to haunt him in the film's final act. I should also mention Nicky Katt (recently seen in PLANET TERROR), who is one of the film's few sources of comic relief as Mercer's partner, Det. Vitale.
THE BRAVE ONE certainly does not condone Erica's actions. In fact, I think it's safe to assume filmmaker Neil Jordan (THE CRYING GAME; IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER) intended this to be an anti-violence, anti-gun film of the highest order. THE BRAVE ONE is not without its flawed worldview or even plot holes (the idea that Foster's character would go down an alley with a strange man to buy a gun so soon after her attack seems highly unlikely), but that doesn't take away from the film's ability to lock you in its grip and guide you through this heartbreaking journey. Two weeks ago, a Kevin Bacon film called DEATH SENTENCE was released to little fan fare. That movie features a strikingly similar plot about a man who seeks revenge on a gang of punks who murder his oldest son. As you can probably tell just from the title, that film did not handle the material in as nearly a compelling manner, but that didn't stop it from being a wild ride. THE BRAVE ONE shuns most opportunities to become exploitative, whereas DEATH SENTENCE wallowed in its blood and guts (again, this is not a bad thing necessarily). I suppose this is what sets Foster's film apart. It's intentions are clear without being preachy or shoving its message down your gullet, and the acting is so strong that the film's flaws vanish easily.
We've entered the early stages of the fall movie season, so expect many releases (including a few that his theaters this week) to be more hard-hitting, message-oriented works like this. More often than not, it is the films that don't state their case in big capital letters that end up making their points heard. THE BRAVE ONE steps over the line a couple times, but quality of the filmmaking always outweighs the brashness of its message delivery.
Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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I know not why,my eye is shy,for Jodie is not easy,to watch her now,feels somehow wrong,Her Fizog makes me queazy.
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Best actress in the world today, period.
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Of The Father. Jim Sheridan did. Both Irish, but still... IMDB the fucker before you go live.
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The Brave Two. [waawaa]
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It was Neil Jordan, Jodie Foster and Joel Silver(!) at Charlie Rose's famous round table. Check out the likely re-run on your local PBS station this weekend. A very smart conversation about the current reality of making movies. Although a few times they seemed unable to keep a straight face over the subject matter of "Brave One." I mean, come on, it's a vigilante picture, a post-grad "Death Wish!" It's "Taxi Driver," with Foster playing both Travis and Betsy! All that being said, I enjoy films in which people who deserve to be shot are shot.
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...unrealistic and ridiculous.
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Thumbs up, especially for Terrence Howard's emotionally vulnerable performance. Worth a trip to the gigaplex.
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Great movie but Jim Sheridan directed it.
Brave One sounds better than I thought it would. Then again, I wasn't too much of a fan of Panic Room. -
I've never been a big fan of Jodie Foster, but I do like revenge films. Might check it out as a matinee...
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nevermind
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I kept thinking that whenever the trailer/ TV spot comes on when she blasts the guy in the convenience store. Now, knowing there's a child prostitute to save, it really looks like it...
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That's all I have to say.
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Neil Jordan films about modern Ireland politics are Breakfast on Pluto and The Butcher Boy. Both great movies.
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Charlie Bronson stalking crooks on the subway? the movie that freaked the entire country out in '74? the Brave One's trailer's an almost scene by scene recreation of all of Death Wish's major plot points.
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Cinematography: wow, I haven't seen that many dutch angles since "Battlefield Earth." Performances: good, considering the dialoge and direction. Plot: retread. Story: terrible. No one would do the things these people do. Men, who very well may be pining for an ex-wife, do not burn photos of ex's. Women who've been assaulted (and raped? this was never made clear) don't go into a dark alley with a strange man to buy a gun. And the coincidences that must occur to allow the story to advance. Just ridiculous. I'm perfectly happy to suspend disbelief to enjoy a movie. However, there does have to be some proportionality of the director's request to the reality in which the movie is set. And here, the director completely over shoots that proportionality. A terrible movie.
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I REALLY don't want to rip on Capone, but he is completely wrong about the film not condoning Foster's actions. I have no idea how Cappy reached that conclusion. Maybe he slept through the ending... you know how the posters ask the question "How many wrongs to make it right?" The answer the movie gives you is "Eight".
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What the hell is with your hippie obsession? There is nothing "hippie" about two people with regular, solid jobs (one hosting a radio show, the other being some sort of medical professional) living comfortably in a Manhattan apartment. I don't know what childhood trauma causes you to see hippies everywhere you look, man, but you need to get past it.
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Hollywood shunned DEATH SENTENCE because the film adhered to a conservative diatribe (vigilantism/revenge): it's the "wrong" message to communicate with the dawn of an election. DEATH SENTENCE--sans publicity--was barely leaked and encouraged to die. It croaked on its opening weekend. But THE BRAVE ONE (hypocritically) insists that Jodie Foster's character is schizophrenic ot traumatized, hence the violence isn't condoned. Foster is one of the Hollywood community, thus insulated from criticism or ostracization: after all, THE BRAVE ONE is "anti-gun" (!!). Hillary Clinton would likely admire Foster's character but condemn Kevin Bacon's grieving father (Clinton is also one of Hollywood's privileged; during a Letterman taping that I attended, the audience was read the "riot" act"--no booing, no catcalls, no questions, laugh at her jokes but be silent during the q&a. "Just sit there and be perfect ladies and gentlemen." Clinton's subsequent appearances have been shielded with the same fascist tactics. Protection for the clueless). DEATH SENTENCE's commercial failure was prompted by its politics; THE BRAVE ONE will prove profitable because it's about a vigilante played by an actress who's on Hollywood's A-list (Foster's personal politics conforms to the town's "one of us" platitudes).
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Shows how much I care about something "from the director of Saw!", I suppose.
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This is nothing more than an emo chick flick version of Deathwish. It is the same basic plot right down to the ending. Don't get me wrong the performances are great but otherwise it's been there done that. Deathwish and Dirty Harry have this law and order context going through them that this film lacks. Those films are products of the 70's when crime was high and front page national news so they resonate more and echo the general publics frustration, this film doesn't.
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I'm sure you guys saw this bit of news a couple of days ago.
"Foster rants, 'That was so painfully cartoonish I was offended.'
And she admits that she doesn't enjoy watching films based around abduction and child molestation - as the mother of two young boys.
She tells newspaper USA Today, 'I don't know how you enjoy or laugh about a child abduction and molestation. What part of that sentence is funny? I can't get beyond that. I don't know if everyone understands the impact of that movie's (Sin City) message.'"
Well, Jodie, I hope that nobody enjoys or laughs at your movie. Since, ya know, that'd be a bit of the pot calling the kettle black.
Seriously, I'd love to know what Ms. Foster (who I ordinarily respect, but this ignorant bullshit comment really blew my mind) thinks the message of Sin City is. It's certainly not, "Abduction and molestation is good." In fact, only Hartigan's storyline had ANYTHING to do with child abduction/molestation, and it's pretty much a vengeance story. You know, like The Brave One intends to be. So.... what's the deal, Jodie? -
:(
Sweet Jodie, why have you forsaken me? How am I to dreamily watch your movies now??? This makes me sad. I'm... I'm sorry everyone, I just... have something in my eye. I need to be alone now.:( -
If you guys need editors, I'm available and quite skilled.
I spotted that error on only my fifth proof-reading of this piece. -
Those were her exact words I posted. I don't get it. Rourke Jr. isn't meant to be a character you laugh at or enjoy. He's disgusting, vile, a parody of a man. So what THAT part of Sin City (because remember, it's only one section of the narrative) is saying is that child abductors/molesters are inhuman and they deserve to be painfully castrated by hand. So far nothing out of line with Foster's movie. Unless her objection is that her character in The Brave One is meant to be Wrong and Sin City glorifies revenge. In which case, she's right. But she also misses the fact that Sin City is a call back to film noir, where revenge WAS glorified. You'd think the woman never studied film...
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and it sounds like one long bloodbath. And from what I hear Sly is really going commando on the film set, he pushing the cast and crew really hard. John rambo assembles a group of mercenaries and takes them into a burmese village, to rescue a group of Christian aid workers where they are ambushed, some of the villagers and missionairies are tortured and murdered.
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I didn't expect to have to deal with you arguing with me every couple of posts, but I guess that's how you get your kicks. If you want to throw down the genre definition gauntlet, I'm glad to oblige. Glorified revenge, while never a primary theme of noir, is present in plenty of films of the genre. The moral victory of which you speak (whereby the morally questionable character is handed divine justice) was only brought in after the Film Code started. Pre-Code noir films are full of violent people getting away with it. And you kind of miss my point by zeroing in on that one sentence anyway. My point was that Sin City is a call-back to noir. So there are bound to be elements of noir in the film. Elements like heavy-fisted, morally questionable (according to polite society) mugs doing dirty deeds to REAL Bad Men in the interest of protecting busty dames. It's like post-code noir, thank you for bringing it up, in that Marv and Hartigan, the most obviously noir heroes, do eventually die. And I think that Foster shutting the movie off after the first 10 minutes or so demonstrates a lack of understanding of the material. It'd be like Foster watching a Scary Movie and saying, "That wasn't scary at all." Well, duh. If you paid attention to the movie, you'd know what it's really about. And come on, it's not like Sin City is subtle about its origins. "I don't know if everyone understands the impact of that film's message." I don't know if SHE understands what the film's message IS. And how could she when she apparently turned it off before it was even over? Now I know I turned this argument back to Jodie Foster and how wrong she is, MOM, so I apologize. I know you like every other post to be all about you. Sorry.
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Halloween is a piece of shit.
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