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The Brave One

Play trailer Poster for The Brave One R Released Sep 14, 2007 2h 2m Mystery & Thriller Drama Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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43% Tomatometer 181 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
New York radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) endures a brutal attack that leaves her badly injured and her beloved fiance dead. The tragedy haunts her, and she sets forth on a personal quest for revenge. Her exploits captivate city residents but, as a determined detective (Terrence Howard) closes in on her, Erica wonders if she is now no better than those she hunts.
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The Brave One

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Critics Consensus

Magnetic by between Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard can't quite compensate for The Brave One's problematic and unconvincing eye-for-an-eye moral.

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Critics Reviews

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David Fear Time Out Rated: 2/5 Nov 16, 2011 Full Review Ben Kenigsberg Time Out Rated: 2/5 Nov 16, 2011 Full Review Christopher Orr The New Republic The Brave One is not merely the most morally repellent film of the year, but a contender for the stupidest. Sep 22, 2008 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Although it possesses believable circumstances, it primarily proves that obeying the law isn't nearly as much fun as breaking it. Rated: 7/10 Nov 24, 2020 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Sorry, but I ain't buying it. Rated: 2.5/4.0 Sep 4, 2020 Full Review Mattie Lucas The Dispatch (Lexington, NC) May be a potboiler at heart, but its moral ambiguity combined with Foster's stellar performance make for something that is compulsively watchable and hard to get out of your head. Rated: 3/4 Jun 5, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Charles P Save yourself some tedium and just re-watch Death Wish, an earlier and arguably more realistic take on street vigilantism after trauma. Even Jodie Foster manages to look bored in many scenes, and as for the electrifying performance others rave about - I don't see them in this movie. YMMV. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/12/25 Full Review Gregory S Wow, it has one of the uncomfortable, realistic, and gritty opening acts I have every seen. Everything about it was pure horror. Jody Foster is absolutely brilliant. It takes quite a bit from Death Wish, but with a female lead. Love when the main character get well deserved revenge. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/30/25 Full Review Jithin K I didn't even realize this was inspired by Deathwish until after watching the movie and reading reviews. And honestly, this is way, way better than what Deathwish set out to be. There is real emotional depth here, and a clear moral ambiguity that takes both sides. Towards the end, it kind of loses it, but it was still trying. There were definitely issues with this movie, with a lot of its stereotypes and the aspects trying to show that there is no prejudice, not feeling very genuine. But it's still in the framework of a personal tragedy and not exactly a representation of what the place is. Neil Jordan's style really hooked me with the visuals, music, pacing, etc, but it also kind of made me feel like this was a 90s movie. If there were not so much use of cellphones, I'd have guessed it was from the 90s. It's the first film that I've felt Terrence Howard was really great, but no doubt that Jodie Foster carried the whole movie. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/27/25 Full Review david m I had seen this film when it first came out and decided to watch it again 18 years later, and what an astonishing and wonderful surprise that was. It was done by the great director Neil Jordan, who did quite a few amazing films like Michael Collins, the Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire and the Borgias, to name just a few. Absolutely pitch perfect direction, great editing, a wonderful soundtrack and two tour de force performances by Terrence Howard and Jodie Foster. The chemistry between them was palpable, and the story was I suppose written back in the day when stories were still believable coming from Hollywood. Really outstanding. If you've never seen it do yourself a favor and watch it, and if you've seen it before do yourself a favor and watch it again, it's that good. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/27/25 Full Review Tamara K Jodie Foster is an amazing actor! She brings her intensity and authenticity to every role! I've been a fan since Taxi Driver! She makes this movie!! With Terrance Howard as the detective, together their chemistry is 2nd to none. Terrance Howard is a great actor, also. The story-line fantastic! A great movie!! Jodie Foster never disappoints!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/14/25 Full Review Daniel L Solid revenge/vigilante movie with a great cast and acting. Worth a watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Brave One

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Movie Info

Synopsis New York radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) endures a brutal attack that leaves her badly injured and her beloved fiance dead. The tragedy haunts her, and she sets forth on a personal quest for revenge. Her exploits captivate city residents but, as a determined detective (Terrence Howard) closes in on her, Erica wonders if she is now no better than those she hunts.
Director
Neil Jordan
Producer
Joel Silver, Susan Downey
Screenwriter
Roderick Taylor, Bruce A. Taylor, Cynthia Mort
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, Silver Pictures
Rating
R (Some Sexuality|Language|Strong Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 14, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 18, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$36.8M
Runtime
2h 2m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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