The Brave One (2007)

Struggling to recover emotionally from a brutal assault that killed her fiancé and left her in a coma, a radio personality begins a quest for vengeance against the perpetrators that leaves a bloody trail across New York City.

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writers:

Roderick Taylor (screenplay), Bruce A. Taylor (screenplay)

Stars:

Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jodie Foster	...	Erica Bain
Terrence Howard	...	Detective Mercer
Nicky Katt	...	Detective Vitale
Naveen Andrews	...	David Kirmani
Mary Steenburgen	...	Carol
Ene Oloja	...	Josai
Luis Da Silva Jr.	...	Lee
Blaze Foster	...	Cash
Rafael Sardina	...	Reed
Jane Adams	...	Nicole
Gordon MacDonald	...	Murrow
Zoë Kravitz	...	Chloe
John Magaro	...	Ethan
Victor Colicchio	...	Cutler
Jermel Howard	...	Thug on Subway

Storyline

Erica Bain is a happy radio host from a city she loves and with a fiancé she adores. However, a brutal attack in New York's Central Park changes her life forever, leaving her in a coma for 3 weeks and her fiancé dead. In an attempt to feel safer after the attack, she buys a gun. However New York does not feel the same as it did anymore and Erica has several encounters where she is not afraid to use her new gun. Everyone is talking about a vigilante and Erica is forced to talk about them too on her radio show...

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Plot Keywords:

radio show | dog | park | gun | detective | 

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Taglines:

How many wrongs to make it right?

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jodie Foster compared Erica's journey in the film to Alice in Wonderland. The tunnel is her rabbit hole.

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Goofs

When Erica goes into the bathroom of the bar to refresh herself, she wets her hair and head, leaving her hair dripping wet. When they cut to the next part of the scene, where she applies her lipstick, her hair is perfectly dry - no shine, no evidence of wetness - one could argue it is even styled.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Erica: [voiceover, doing her radio show] I'm Erica Bain. And as *you* know, I walk the city. I bitch and moan about it. I walk and watch and listen, a witness to all the beauty and ugliness that is disappearing from our beloved city. Last week took me to the gray depths of the East River where Dmitri Panchenko swims his morning laps, like he has every morning since the 1960s. And today I walked by the acres of scaffolding outside what used to be the Plaza Hotel. And I thought about Eloise....
[...]

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Connections

References Sunset Blvd. (1950)

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Soundtracks

Black Betty
Written by Leadbelly (as Huddie Ledbetter)
Performed by Ram Jam
Courtesy of Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Terrific performances from Jodi Foster and Terrence Howard

this movie was much better than i had hoped or expected it to be.it basically turns the vigilante genre on its head,and has a female character as the vigilante.like any vigilante movie,it certainly poses tough questions.it contains some terrific performances in it's two lead characters,Jodi Foster as the vigilante,and Terrance Howard as the cop on her trail.both are outstanding and very credible in their respective roles.Foster really makes you sympathetic to her character and rooting for her,even though you probably shouldn't.Howard's character is also sympathetic,because he has mixed feelings,but has to follow the law.he comes off very convincingly as someone who is conflicted.the movie is well paced and appropriately dark.even before the end of the movie,i thought it was well done,but the ending caught me totally off guard.it elevated the movie a notch.for me,The Brave One is a 9/10

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. Pictures [Japan] Warner Bros. Pictures [UK]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Brave One

Filming Locations:

183 Grand Street, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,471,488, 16 September 2007

Gross USA:

$36,793,804

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$69,787,394

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min 119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1