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Average User Score: 7 (46 sources)

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V_Translanka

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A good revenge story. I enjoyed it a lot. It may be a little obvious in its turns, but its done well for the most part. The finale would have been a lot better, I thought, if she hadn't said that, "Who's the **** now?" line...it seemed a...
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A good revenge story. I enjoyed it a lot. It may be a little obvious in its turns, but its done well for the most part. The finale would have been a lot better, I thought, if she hadn't said that, "Who's the **** now?" line...it seemed a bit much...I don't think a revenger needs to say anything and it made it seem too much of an atypical male-driven action movie, which this movie seems to strive to rail against. Otherwise it was great, though...nice ending.

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Posted nov 13, 2008 11:08 am pt

Vyce3

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Although I somewhat agree that the justice system is a flawed one and I found this movie quite enjoyable I found rather laughable the fact that once she buys a gun she seems to run into the worst kind of scum. The coincidences are ridiculous. As...
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Although I somewhat agree that the justice system is a flawed one and I found this movie quite enjoyable I found rather laughable the fact that once she buys a gun she seems to run into the worst kind of scum. The coincidences are ridiculous. As if before the murder of her fiancee everything was shiny and happy in NYC. Enjoyable to watch but don't expect this to win any oscar.

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Posted may 22, 2008 11:28 pm pt

bgriffithsps3

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After getting almost beaten to death in Central Park and loosing her fiancee in the same attack, Jodie Foster finds herself wandering the streets of New York at night as a vigilante.
Frustrated and too impatient to wait for the police she...
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After getting almost beaten to death in Central Park and loosing her fiancee in the same attack, Jodie Foster finds herself wandering the streets of New York at night as a vigilante.
Frustrated and too impatient to wait for the police she takes matters into her own hands with a gun and a zero tolerance attitude to any muggers, pimps and the like that cross her path.
It's an average revenge film, it's not Kill Bill, nor does it want to be. The action and violence is infrequent as the story looks more at the police side of things and the relationship between her and the cop investigating the murders (Terrence Howard) as he slowly begins to realise it could be her. No really?
Foster narrates to the audience to tell us how she is becoming a different person and emotionally detached from the killing whereas with Kevin Bacon in Death Sentence we can see it through raw emotion portrayed onscreen. This being something that Foster doesn't portray at all as she phones in the performance.
It's not a bad film for a rental but if you've seen Death Sentence recently which was released around the same time (UK) it is lacking in almost every area.

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Posted may 22, 2008 4:04 am pt

gruffi40

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Seemed very much like a let's cheer for revenge movie. As much as the unpunished need to be brought to justice, I can not agree with the theme of this movie. If people stand up for themselves, great, I can cheer that all day. When they go around...
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Seemed very much like a let's cheer for revenge movie. As much as the unpunished need to be brought to justice, I can not agree with the theme of this movie. If people stand up for themselves, great, I can cheer that all day. When they go around looking for people to kill, I have to condemn that.

On a side note, afq mentioned this was a Deathwish clone or remake. I actually enjoyed Deathwish. I dunno if it was the 80's mentality or the fact i'm older or the way the movies were made. Deathwish was waaaaaay better.

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Posted mar 21, 2008 7:08 pm pt

afq2846

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If you have ever seen death wish then you have seen this movie. Its a remake but the lead is a female and not a male. Foster plays a radio talk show host whose boyfriend is killed while they walk the dog. So what should any normal human being...
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If you have ever seen death wish then you have seen this movie. Its a remake but the lead is a female and not a male. Foster plays a radio talk show host whose boyfriend is killed while they walk the dog. So what should any normal human being do!!! get a gun and kill people. I have to say the chemistry between foster and her boyfriend is non-existent. They try to create some chemistry between foster and howard and thats non-existant. Its surprising to see foster do this movie because its basically a revenge film. Nothing really special here with the plot being very flimsy. She gets a gun and goes around killing hoodlums. I guess they wanted the people to cheer for her in the theaters. Its pretty poorly done and the acting here is horrible. The ending is ridiculous as is most of the film. She becomes a crack shot at killing people and she does it left and right. Skip this movie is you can because you have seen it before.

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Posted mar 14, 2008 9:22 am pt

punisherwarzone

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A GREAT THRILLER TO WACTH ONE OF THE BEST TO COME OUT IN 07 A MUST SEE MOVIE FOR ANY MOVIE TOME FAN OUT STANDING MOVIE

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Posted mar 8, 2008 4:03 am pt

• [+] ReelViews
  
  88
  Not since "The Crying Game" has Jordan crafted as compelling a motion picture.

  by James Berardinelli | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Sun-Times
  
  88
  Where did Hollywood get the conviction that audiences demand an ending that lets them off the hook? Foster doesn't let herself off the hook in The Brave One, and we should be as brave as she is.

  by Roger Ebert | Read Full Review »
• [+] Premiere
  
  88
  An intense New York-set thriller that manages to be both commercial and contemplative, kick-ass and quietly, disturbingly insinuating.

  by Glenn Kenny | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  83
  The moody tone and carefully balanced drama turn a grubby premise into something unexpectedly elegant.

  by Tasha Robinson | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Post
  
  75
  The way-too-neat ending of The Brave One especially strains credulity, but it's worth watching for Foster's fiercely arresting performance.

  by Lou Lumenick | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Tribune
  
  75
  The Brave One is "Death Wish" with a guilty conscience, and while it may be a bit of a hypocrite as vigilante thrillers go, the internal contradictions of the thing make for a very interesting picture.

  by Michael Phillips | Read Full Review »
• [+] Washington Post
  
  70
  It's hard to hate, because as a rabble-rouser it is superbly effective, driven forward by two powerhouse actors.

  by Stephen Hunter | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  70
  A vigilante drama boasting a powerful Jodie Foster performance and carefully weighted direction by Neil Jordan.

  by Michael Rechtshaffen | Read Full Review »
• [+] Village Voice
  
  70
  Taken literally, almost everything that follows in The Brave One so seriously strains credibility (even by the standards of the genre) as to enter the realm of the absurd. Taken on the level of a menacing urban fairy tale, however--something akin to what Jane Campion was aiming for with "In the Cut"--it's strangely fascinating.

  by Scott Foundas | Read Full Review »
• [+] Salon.com
  
  70
  There's a lot to admire in The Brave One. It just doesn't cut as deeply as it needs to.

  by Stephanie Zacharek | Read Full Review »
• [+] Austin Chronicle
  
  67
  A confounding movie on many levels. For all its sophistication and sensitivity, it turns out to be little more than an upscale B-movie about getting even.

  by Steve Davis | Read Full Review »
• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  67
  With The Brave One, Jodie Foster and director Neil Jordan shift the genre to the murky left, where right and wrong are not so black and white. In doing so, they have taken away the very thing that makes a vigilante movie work.

  by Andy Spletzer | Read Full Review »
• [+] USA Today
  
  63
  If only The Brave One had captured more of the complex nature of the fear and paranoia plaguing society since 9/11. Instead, it is a well-made but predictable take on the revenge fantasy thriller, with a female twist.

  by Claudia Puig | Read Full Review »
• [+] TV Guide
  
  63
  Regardless of the artistry involved (though the street-level anxiety of post-9/11 New York is far better evoked in Jane Campion's underrated "In the Cut," The Brave One ultimately never really strays from the same moral low road as "Death Wish."

  by Ken Fox | Read Full Review »
• [+] Rolling Stone
  
  63
  Foster is electrifying as ego and id clash and the movie fires up with genuine provocation.

  by Peter Travers | Read Full Review »