The Brave One

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The Brave One

R

2007

2h 2m

Kids & Family

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

181 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

New York radio host Erica Bain endures a brutal attack that leaves her badly injured and her beloved fiancé 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 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

09/22/2008

The Brave One is not merely the most morally repellent film of the year, but a contender for the stupidest.

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Alonso Duralde

MSNBC

05/01/2008

2/5

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

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

12/06/2007

C

Just a more superficially sober version of Death Wish.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

11/24/2020

7/10

Although it possesses believable circumstances, it primarily proves that obeying the law isn't nearly as much fun as breaking it.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/04/2020

2.5/4.0

Sorry, but I ain't buying it.

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Mattie Lucas

The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)

06/05/2019

3/4

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.

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Mark K

@RT64168323 May 31

Unfairly reviewed by the critics. Although this is an older movie, I hadn’t heard of it before today and stumbled upon it on Netflix. Foster was excellent in it throughout and although the storyline had holes here and there it was a thoroughly entertaining watch.

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Tito K

@TitoK May 25

Average movie. Foster is good obviously!

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Pongo K

@RT48921889 May 18

A feelgood "get the guilty" pleasure film. More of this please.

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Chris H

@RT60525826 May 18

This seems to have been panned by the critics, but unfairly in my view. It's not a straight revenge flick, but a study of a tortured woman driven by fear to find a kind of courage, although one tinged with guilt. Does that sound pretentious? Yes it does, but when the tortured woman is Jodie Foster, you have a film worth watching.

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Marianne de N

@RT05891232 May 14

I loved it. There were a few holes here and there like how the detective was so sure it was her, but on the whole a great watch!

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Mania I.

@TheMania510 Nov 15

Jodie Foster Stars in this vigilante thriller similar to the themes of the original Death Wish. Fosters incredible in this role. Terrence Howard is also brilliant in his film as a detective charged with finding out who is committing all these vigilante crimes. Great direction by Neil Jordan.

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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 endures a brutal attack that leaves her badly injured and her beloved fiancé 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 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: Kids & Family, Mystery & Thriller, Action, Crime, Drama
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)