"The Brave One" starring Jodie Foster and Terence Howard, directed by Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game") opens this week. The reviews are certainly mixed, although buzz out of Toronto seemed to be pretty good. A.O. Scott of The New York Times writes, "They have a few desultory discussions about the rule of law and the ethics of extrajudicial killing, arguments that are resolved in a climax that manages to be at once preposterous, sentimental and appalling. That it may also be viscerally satisfying is a sign of just how cowardly “The Brave One” really is. It’s a pro-lynching movie that even liberals can love."
Stephen Holden of The Washington Post notes, "it's hard to hate, because as a rabble-rouser it is superbly effective, driven forward by two powerhouse actors in a big Hollywood style by old pro Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game"), with a lot of comic banter among the stars and co-stars and, under it all, that sense that a crime so vile has been committed that only hot blood in lakes steaming in an asphalt alley will quell the demons."
Stephen Holden of The Washington Post notes, "it's hard to hate, because as a rabble-rouser it is superbly effective, driven forward by two powerhouse actors in a big Hollywood style by old pro Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game"), with a lot of comic banter among the stars and co-stars and, under it all, that sense that a crime so vile has been committed that only hot blood in lakes steaming in an asphalt alley will quell the demons."
