“The Brave One” reboots “Death Wish”

Without Jodie Foster’s convincing performance of a woman who becomes a vigilante — and is conflicted about what she’s become — The Brave One could have been a melodramatic revenge flick no better than Death Wish. Half the audience is likely to miss the point and cheer whenever she shoots her gun; the rest might find it disturbing. I don’t agree with everything that goes down in the end, but the psychological transformation of Foster’s character makes this film worth watching. Terrence Howard is pretty good too.

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