Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- paranoid
- harrowing
- late night thriller viewing
- crime film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard magnetic and emotionally precise, but considered the film's eye-for-an-eye moral framework problematic and unconvincing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Erica Bain begins confronting criminals after losing her fiancé and faith in institutional protection, forcing the film to question eye-for-an-eye justice.
The Central Park attack leaves Erica in a coma, changes her relationship to New York, and transforms her from radio host into an armed vigilante.
Erica's familiar New York becomes threatening after the attack, with streets and transit spaces framing her heightened vigilance.
Erica's gender and public identity shape both her victimization and her controversial assumption of violent agency.
Films like The Brave One, and why
Death Wish
shares the rape-and-revenge premise, urban vigilante justice, moral ambiguity, and psychological thriller tension
Ms. 45
shares a traumatized protagonist's transformation into an avenger, bleak urban atmosphere, and conflicted treatment of vigilantism
Peppermint
shares female-centered revenge, post-traumatic identity change, and a tense crime-thriller structure
Taxi Driver
shares grief-driven vigilantism, urban crime, and a morally uneasy revenge narrative
Movie Details
- Director
- Neil Jordan
- Release Date
- 2007-09-12
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1130)
Cast
- Jodie Foster
- Terrence Howard
- Nicky Katt
- Naveen Andrews
- Mary Steenburgen
- Ene Oloja
- Luis Da Silva, Jr.
- Blaze Foster
- Rafael Sardina
- Zoë Kravitz
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Brave One about?
- After a devastating attack destroys her sense of safety, a New York radio host becomes an armed vigilante while a detective closes in on the truth.
- What is The Brave One like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Brave One as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Brave One violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Brave One as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Brave One?
- Critics broadly found Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard magnetic and emotionally precise, but considered the film's eye-for-an-eye moral framework problematic and unconvincing.
- Which films are like The Brave One?
- Films with a similar feel include Death Wish, Ms. 45, Peppermint, and Taxi Driver.
- How long is The Brave One?
- The Brave One runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Brave One?
- In United States, The Brave One streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
