The Brave One

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The Brave One

R

2007

2h 2m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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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

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Alonso Duralde

MSNBC

[A] dopey action movie featuring the contributions of people too talented to waste their time on something this risible.

Rated: 2/5

May 1, 2008

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Just a more superficially sober version of Death Wish.

Rated: C

Dec 6, 2007

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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

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sorry, but I ain't buying it.

Rated: 2.5/4.0

Sep 4, 2020

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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

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Glasgow K

Compelling performances by Foster and Howard bring a very personal touch to an old theme of feeling helpless after suffering a great loss. It takes real acting skills to pull this off and they do it with grace. A real human experience is revealed.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/03/25

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Aun M

this is just like Death Wish sequel but the movie is awesome presentation is good and of course Jodie Foster did brilliant job as she always does. I don't know why have people here not liked this movie, but in my opinion this is the story of the lady whose boyfriend has been killed, and Afterall she decided to take a revenge after getting no any response from the law enforcement. Movie will not let you bore.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/25

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Aaron C

Could of been great Just seemed silly

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/21/25

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thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/25

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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

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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

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Neil Jordan

Director

Jodie Foster

Erica Bain

Terrence Howard

Det. Mercer

Nicky Katt

Det. Vitale

Naveen Andrews

David

Mary Steenburgen

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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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