Screenhead

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Vengeance is something everyone seeks at some time. Most of us can contain our inner rage, while other lash out. But nevertheless it’s an interesting topic. In cinema we usually see it in terms of action, kung-fu, or exploitation cinema. Hell, it’s probably overused in TV movies too. The Brave One seems to be a film that attempts to explore the psychological impact of a vengeance fixation, while also being a film that could impact on the box office.

Perhaps I’m just being too nice on my homey, Neil Jordan. The director is pretty erratic in terms of quality, directing films as great as The Crying Game and The End of the Affair, and as bad as In Dreams and Breakfast on Pluto. Or perhaps the trailer above is one of the few to finally incorporate new music, ending with post-rock group Mogwai’s rousing stomp, ‘Auto-Rock’ (which also appears on the Miami Vice soundtrack, for some bizarre reason). Then again, perhaps it’s just a run of the mill drama with a bit of PR backing and a director who needs the money (his last few films haven’t made much money, and he is still trying to get funding for his project about the Borja family).

Either way so far this year seems to be generating more interesting roles for women as opposed to men. With Angelina Jolie playing Marianne Pearl, and with Jodie Foster aiming for a complex portrayal in this film, they’re already outweighing any significant male performances (Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me is the only one that springs to mind) from this year.

The Brave One opens in the US on September 14, and hits the rest of the world the following week.