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The Brave One

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 17.
  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Foster only good thing in violent revenge fantasy.

updated 10.15.08

Why We Rated This not for kids

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Criminals and thugs are everywhere, committing violent acts with guns, knives, and heavy boots. The hero is a vigilante, which raises lots of questions about justice and morality. A good cop pursues a wife-abuser who eludes legal punishment.
  • Violence :

    Brutal tunnel attack features fast editing and disturbing camerawork (sometimes using cell-phone video footage). The attack itself includes hitting, kicking, bodies being thrown against the tunnel wall, and bloody faces, limbs, and torsos. The subsequent hospital scenes feature frantic ER rushing, bloody clothes being cut off, and images of horrific injuries (including visuals of a woman shot in the head). Erica's post-attack face is a darkly bloody pulp. A cop asks a young girl if her stepfather "hurt" her mommy. Erica enters a gun shop, then buys a handgun illegally. Other very loud, bloody scenes include a man shooting a woman in the chest and Erica shooting him in neck (bottles smash, blood on the floor); Erica shooting two thieves on a subway; and Erica holding gun to pimp's head, then shooting him as he tries to run her over.
  • Sex :

    Flirty talk between loving couple ("What are you wearing?"); tender, passionate kiss. A brutal attack is intercut with a flashback to a sex scene -- which focuses on faces and close-ups of body parts, including nipples and hands on torsos. Slangy references to people and body parts ("dick," "that little whore," "t--ties").
  • Language:

    Frequent uses of "f--k," plus "bitch," "s--t," "ass," "a--hole," and "hell." Erica calls herself a "super c--t." Other salty phrases ("rap sheet longer than my dick," "Christ on a cracker," "the show sucked," "prick").
  • Consumerism:

    In a convenience store scene, the majority of visibly labeled products are Coca-Cola brands (Sprite, Fanta, 7-Up, Dasani). Images of an iPod, with artists listed (Dixie Chicks, Radiohead, U2).
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Erica takes prescription pills; Mercer also takes pills (could be off-the-shelf painkillers -- hard to tell). Erica smokes cigarettes repeatedly. Mercer drinks in a bar. Erica tosses her cigarette and pills in the toilet. Reference to "crackheads."
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Brave One

Parents need to know that this dark, mature revenge drama uses brutal violence and subjective images to play up its dire emotions. Within the first few minutes, a young couple is horribly attacked by a gang in a scene featuring hard hits and kicks, blood, and screaming. Subsequent violence includes loud and ferocious shooting, stabbing, beating, cars crashing, and a body that's been thrown from a high parking garage floor (viewers don't see the throw, but they see the body). Hospital scenes feature close-ups of bloody bodies and faces. There's some kissing, plus a sex scene (intercut with the violent attack) that shows bare breasts/nipples. Language is fierce, including multiple uses of "f--k."

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the concept of revenge, which the movie revolves around. Does it make you feel better to "get back" at someone who has wronged you? Is violent vengeance ever justified? Parents, talk with your kids about the difference between real life and fantasy -- even teens. Point out that consequences exist -- even if it makes you feel humorless. The fact that violent movies stimulate parts of the brain is worth a reminder. Also, how do Erica's efforts to "clean up" the city streets challenge gender expectations? Why do so many people assume the killer is a man?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in California
    Kids ages: 15, 16
    I rate this title on for age 16 and give it 2.0

    The NOT Brave one!

    This movie is somewhat entertaining, and both Foster and Howard give good performances. But the message is horrible and far worse, has nothing to do with bravery. It is about a woman who survives a vicious attack, which apparently leads her down a very dark path, awakening a side of her that even she did not know existed. Her transformation is too fast & furious and had it been handled (read: written, directed, edited) in a better way, may have added more character depth, making this a more satisfying movie. I wasn't at all sure why she purchased the gun...I think it was fear, but it was never fully explained. Was she frustrated with how the police were handling her case? Again...not covered as it should have been. Interesting and unrealistic that she wasn't aware of the gun permit law, as she assumed she could buy a gun without a waiting period. Then, within moments of leaving the gun shop, she's approached by a man who offers to sell her an illegal gun for $1,000. Miraculously, she just happens to have had that amount of cash in her pocket, because the deal was completed in that one scene. If anyone was BRAVE in this movie, it was this guy. He gave her the world's shortest gun handling lesson and when he handed it over to her, she kept pointing it at him as she practiced with the safety and loading procedures. YIKES! So, instead of bravery, as the title implies, this movie is everything to do with taking the law into your own hands. But the viewer never really knows why Foster's character goes down this road. It almost seems by accident. As a matter of fact, the movie implies that this type of violence lives in everyone and, given the right circumstances, we all would kill. If you would like to see a movie that depicts this subject matter more thoroughly, I recommend EYE FOR AN EYE, with Sally Fields, Ed Harris and a wonderful performance by Keifer Sutherland (you'll love hating him!) This movie supplied my older teenage son and I with many good discussion starters, but overall I would not recommend it for the younger crowd or for anyone that is offended by violent and shallow movies. There must be better roles out there for Ms. Foster...she is one of our more brilliant actors!

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0

    Awesome !!!!

    People really should stop over-anylizing movies so much. It had two great ( and I do mean great ! ) actors, Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. Both do intense characters VERY well. And it is what it is people. It's a fantasy I think a lot of law abiding, normal people have these days. I don't want to say too much without spoiling the movie. Let's just say I said, "You go girl !!!" about 10 times at least. And the ending is not as expected.

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Anonymous
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0

    Very good

  4. Kid Reviewer
    Age 12
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    I didn't want to see this movie, and my parents made me see it, but i have to admit, i am glad they did! This movie is really good! The only gorey seen is the one where the man gets attacked by the gang members (or they looked like gang members). The shooting seens are nothing worse than you see on CSI or other shows kids watch.

  5. Teen Reviewer
    Age 13
    Anonymous
    Lives in Oklahoma
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    Well...

    it was a GREAT movie there was a few scenes they may scare children there is also some scenes that parents may not approve of

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