THE BRAVE ONE makes a fatal mistake from its first frame by trying to be much more than it actually is: a B-movie exploitation film. Yes, it's got A-level talent before (Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard) and behind (Neil Jordan) the camera, but its script is so derivative of every vigilante movie ever made, that it literally lifts scenes from two of the genres best: DEATH WISH and TAXI DRIVER. Both those films worked so well, and became deserved classics, because the filmmakers knew exactly what kind of stories they were trying to tell:
TAXI DRIVER was a brilliant mediation on the symbiotic relationship between urban decay, post-Vietnam ennui, and the violence that lies within every human heart, particularly when faced with the loneliness brought about by feeling disenfranchised from society. It was a metaphorical message driven home with the force of the .44 Magnum that Travis Bickle uses to purge his id at the film's finale.
DEATH WISH not only embraced the fact that it was a sleazy, B-movie exploitation film, it gave the idea a big bear hug, and a sloppy kiss to boot! It never tried to be introspective, meaningful, or even dare to dip its toe into the world of metaphor. It was "see Charlie Bronson kick ass" for 93 blood-soaked minutes.
Both films featured an alternative universe of New York City: TAXI DRIVER's resembling something that Dante might have written as part of "The Inferno," and DEATH WISH offering a surreal version of the Big Apple that sometimes bordered on science fiction: where bad guys were literally around every corner, ready to rob, rape, maim and murder you at a moment's notice.
Not only does THE BRAVE ONE shamelessly steal the 1970s NYC alternative universe, which simply doesn't exist anymore in post-Rudy New York, it lifts entire sequences from both films: In TAXI DRIVER, Travis Bickle busts his vigilante cherry by taking out a gunman in a convenience store. Jodie Foster, TAXI DRIVER alumnus, does the same in THE BRAVE ONE. In DEATH WISH, Charlie Bronson blows away a knife-wielding thug (future cable movie director John Herzfeld) on the subway. Guess what, Jodie does it times two in THE BRAVE ONE! I guess the development exec who green-lit this Joel Silver production wasn't old enough to have seen either of the aforementioned films when they were released (let alone have a Netflix account), so he or she should be absolved of not screaming "Plagiarism!" upon their first read of the script.
In between blood-letting, Foster's radio host records introspective monologues on her tape recorder about the primal nature of man, and other lofty subjects. The film's best moments occur between Foster and Howard, who do have a few interesting talks about the idea of vigilantism, but it's not enough icing for the entire cake. In attempting to merge the sensibilities of TAXI DRIVER and DEATH WISH, two very strong films that still hold up 30 years later, THE BRAVE ONE winds up giving birth to a bastard child with no real identity of its own. It is neither entertaining, nor meaningful enough to stand as an updated statement on the vigilante genre that DEATH WISH spawned in 1974, and TAXI DRIVER (should have) ended in 1976, although the genre continued unabated for many years after, reaching a nadir with the nauseating EXECUTIONER series, starring Robert Ginty in the early '80s.
Here's hoping THE BRAVE ONE doesn't give rebirth to the genre.
And by the way Jodie, Terrence and Neil: the three of you should have known better! 6/10
TAXI DRIVER was a brilliant mediation on the symbiotic relationship between urban decay, post-Vietnam ennui, and the violence that lies within every human heart, particularly when faced with the loneliness brought about by feeling disenfranchised from society. It was a metaphorical message driven home with the force of the .44 Magnum that Travis Bickle uses to purge his id at the film's finale.
DEATH WISH not only embraced the fact that it was a sleazy, B-movie exploitation film, it gave the idea a big bear hug, and a sloppy kiss to boot! It never tried to be introspective, meaningful, or even dare to dip its toe into the world of metaphor. It was "see Charlie Bronson kick ass" for 93 blood-soaked minutes.
Both films featured an alternative universe of New York City: TAXI DRIVER's resembling something that Dante might have written as part of "The Inferno," and DEATH WISH offering a surreal version of the Big Apple that sometimes bordered on science fiction: where bad guys were literally around every corner, ready to rob, rape, maim and murder you at a moment's notice.
Not only does THE BRAVE ONE shamelessly steal the 1970s NYC alternative universe, which simply doesn't exist anymore in post-Rudy New York, it lifts entire sequences from both films: In TAXI DRIVER, Travis Bickle busts his vigilante cherry by taking out a gunman in a convenience store. Jodie Foster, TAXI DRIVER alumnus, does the same in THE BRAVE ONE. In DEATH WISH, Charlie Bronson blows away a knife-wielding thug (future cable movie director John Herzfeld) on the subway. Guess what, Jodie does it times two in THE BRAVE ONE! I guess the development exec who green-lit this Joel Silver production wasn't old enough to have seen either of the aforementioned films when they were released (let alone have a Netflix account), so he or she should be absolved of not screaming "Plagiarism!" upon their first read of the script.
In between blood-letting, Foster's radio host records introspective monologues on her tape recorder about the primal nature of man, and other lofty subjects. The film's best moments occur between Foster and Howard, who do have a few interesting talks about the idea of vigilantism, but it's not enough icing for the entire cake. In attempting to merge the sensibilities of TAXI DRIVER and DEATH WISH, two very strong films that still hold up 30 years later, THE BRAVE ONE winds up giving birth to a bastard child with no real identity of its own. It is neither entertaining, nor meaningful enough to stand as an updated statement on the vigilante genre that DEATH WISH spawned in 1974, and TAXI DRIVER (should have) ended in 1976, although the genre continued unabated for many years after, reaching a nadir with the nauseating EXECUTIONER series, starring Robert Ginty in the early '80s.
Here's hoping THE BRAVE ONE doesn't give rebirth to the genre.
And by the way Jodie, Terrence and Neil: the three of you should have known better! 6/10