I've been looking forward to this film, like Sunshine, since it was first announced. It's been a torturous wait...
Neil Jordan's crafted a haunting tale of a woman who sets out on the path of revenge after a brutal attack that left her in a three week coma and her fiancé dead. The revenge part of the story is merely the impetus for the characters' journeys on the path back to the light.
This movie isn't Kill Bill which, while I LOVE those flicks, is pretty cartoony. Jodie Foster's character, Erica Bain, was a radio talk show host deeply in love with her fiancé (Naveen Andrews) who is now scared out of her mind by the city she loves thanks to three punks who steal their dog and beat them both severely. To try and get the control back, to try and feel safe again in the city she loves, she purchases a gun. It works enough for her to go back out and record the sounds of the city, which she does for her radio programme, but now that she's seen the dark underbelly of New York City, it seems to search her out and she doesn't take the time to think about her first vigilante act. She simply reacts to what she's witnessed, egged on by what she's been through.
Eventually, she actually does think about what she's doing, not searching for the revenge she wishes to take, but not going out of her way to avoid getting herself into situations that would force her into doing something. Finally, she gets to the point where she can and does hunt down the three thugs, but by that time, one is far more concerned with her than with her mission and that, to me, is masterful: to make an intense character drama out of a script that is, essentially, a Death Wish ripoff. That lifts this film far above the rest of its brethren.
All thanks for such an amazing job with a film like this goes to Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard (his character is ancillary to Erica's journey and the part is small, but he makes it memorable), and Neil Jordan. Especially Neil Jordan and Jodie Foster. If it weren't for those two working together, this would be just another film on Warner Bros.' direct-to-DVD release slate, if it had even made it that far. They've made a surprisingly touching film out of something so primal. It doesn't seek to glorify Erica's actions...an amazingly important factor in a film like this.
Fantastic.
Neil Jordan's crafted a haunting tale of a woman who sets out on the path of revenge after a brutal attack that left her in a three week coma and her fiancé dead. The revenge part of the story is merely the impetus for the characters' journeys on the path back to the light.
This movie isn't Kill Bill which, while I LOVE those flicks, is pretty cartoony. Jodie Foster's character, Erica Bain, was a radio talk show host deeply in love with her fiancé (Naveen Andrews) who is now scared out of her mind by the city she loves thanks to three punks who steal their dog and beat them both severely. To try and get the control back, to try and feel safe again in the city she loves, she purchases a gun. It works enough for her to go back out and record the sounds of the city, which she does for her radio programme, but now that she's seen the dark underbelly of New York City, it seems to search her out and she doesn't take the time to think about her first vigilante act. She simply reacts to what she's witnessed, egged on by what she's been through.
Eventually, she actually does think about what she's doing, not searching for the revenge she wishes to take, but not going out of her way to avoid getting herself into situations that would force her into doing something. Finally, she gets to the point where she can and does hunt down the three thugs, but by that time, one is far more concerned with her than with her mission and that, to me, is masterful: to make an intense character drama out of a script that is, essentially, a Death Wish ripoff. That lifts this film far above the rest of its brethren.
All thanks for such an amazing job with a film like this goes to Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard (his character is ancillary to Erica's journey and the part is small, but he makes it memorable), and Neil Jordan. Especially Neil Jordan and Jodie Foster. If it weren't for those two working together, this would be just another film on Warner Bros.' direct-to-DVD release slate, if it had even made it that far. They've made a surprisingly touching film out of something so primal. It doesn't seek to glorify Erica's actions...an amazingly important factor in a film like this.
Fantastic.
Tell Your Friends