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Part Ms. 45, part Kill Bill, and all Death Wish, Neil Jordan's The Brave One explores themes of justice, revenge, and moral ambiguity while unfolding a dramatic tale of vigilante terror all with a driving undertone of "forgiveness is for wussies." Paradoxical in its approach of vigilante justice and brutal violence, these methods of entertainment certainly accomplish its goal of cathartic gratification, but the vicious circle of unlawful justice it promotes works to discredit the grounds in reality it strove for. While The Brave One's story may be more realistic than one might hope, it does prove that obeying the law isn't nearly as much fun as breaking it and meting out justice with cold steel is the quickest way to get a cheer out of your audience.

New York radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) lives a picturesque life of happiness with her fianc David (Naveen Andrews). But all that changes abruptly when a gang of thugs viciously attack the couple in the park and leave them for dead. When Erica awakens in a hospital and learns that David has died, she turns to the comfort of vigilante justice in New York's seedy underworld of crime. Patrolling alleyways, subways, and ghettos, Erica begins hunting down and killing those that seem to deserve it most. But when an honest cop is hot on her trail and the bloodshed rapidly eats away at her soul, she must decide if the fragile line of right and wrong, revenge and justice, must be crossed again.

First and foremost, this film goes for the typical Hollywood crowd-pleasing action, and exploitive vigilantism is a surefire trick. Who doesn't love to see the underdog break the law in all the right places? Unfortunately, 1974's Death Wish beat The Brave One to the punch. So did Ms. 45, and even Kill Bill most recently, as a super stylized revenge flick. With only a few twists and turns that differentiate Foster's vigilante from the cheer-inducing Charles Bronson or bloodthirsty Beatrix Kiddo, director Neil Jordan also introduces quite a few moral conflictions. A part of Foster wants to bloodily dispose of those who destroyed her comfortable life, and the other part wants to put it all behind her and learn how to keep living a normal one. But normalcy is far from possible, as she narrates her own decent into identity-altering vengeful violence.

Jodie Foster's performance is believable and sensational, but she is in the same rut that critically acclaimed actors such as Jack Nicholson reside in. She continues to play herself, whether

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