Save a White Woman (The Brave One)

In Terrence Howard’s film, The Brave One (2007), this dude (Terrence Howard as Detective Mercer) takes a bullet in the shoulder and a risk to his career for no apparent reason except to save a white woman and grant her wish to kill a man.
    
Let us examine this piece by piece.
    
Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) wants murderous revenge against the men who beat her boyfriend to death.  Understood. Not nice. But her motivation is understood.
    
Detective Mercer (Terrence Howard) empathizes with her pain and her desire for revenge. He’s human. There is a place for his empathy. Understood.    

He empathizes with her sooooooooooooooo much that he is willing to:
    
jeopardize his career... and risk serious injury – even death
    
… all to please the white woman.
    
I said…
    
JEOPARDIZE HIS CAREER! He would jeopardize his career in order to permit a woman he barely knows, to commit murder? What if, later, she has a change of heart and wants to reveal to authorities what happened? Why would he entrust this virtual stranger with the strings that his career hangs on? For all he’s worked for, we are to believe he would risk it all merely to satisfy her need to murder? He would do this for her? This would make him an idiot, now wouldn’t it?  This would make him stupid, wouldn’t it? This would make him a man whose judgment is questionable. 
    
RISK SERIOUS INJURY; EVEN DEATH!  When he asked her to shoot him to make the crime scene plausible, she was trembling and shaking like a leaf.  Mercer himself acknowledged earlier in the film that she was not a good shooter.  He deduced, early on, when he examined the grocery store crime scene, that she was a poor shooter since even though she was standing only a few feet from the man she killed; it took three shots for her to kill him. Only one bullet struck the man. So he knows she is not a skilled gunslinger, yet he urges her trembling hand to shoot him anyway.
    
This is preposterous.
    
The notion that this black man would desire to serve this white woman in this fashion and honor her wish to commit murder demonstrates what is often shown of black men on the silver screen…
    
Weakness.  And idiocy.

Comments

[Kimi]

I SO TOTALLY AGREE!!! I did not see the flick, but based on your assessment I really don't want to now & I actually like both Jodie Foster & Terence Howard.

I guess he's trying to mix up the roles he takes a little sumthin sumthin ... but this film just goes to show someone is trying keep the stereotypes alive.

All I can say is, I hope he got some for all his efforts, but probably not.

[shion]

FYI, on the real ...Foster is a lesbian...not out and proud but has lived with a woman for a number of years with her adopted son.
It's funny that you said that she was avenging her BOYFRIEND 's muder by taking the law into her own hands. lol

[theblackactor.com]

I know Jodie Foster is a lesbian. But the character, Erica Bain, had a boyfriend in the flick. It sounded funny to write it and it was even funnier to see it. Though she was straight in the film, me and my friend commented during the film that she looked particularly dykey in this film. LOL.

[Stacey]

Wow! I did not know she was a lesbian. Seems like black folks are always taking roles to apease the masses instead of ourselves.

[northbit]

heh, this is some funny stuff. A little over analyzed dont you think? Actors are just entertainers, you cant read too much into hollywood fluff or you will look as silly as the shit you are talking about. ITS JUST A MOVIE.

[theblackactor.com]

That's one way to look at it.

[theblackactor.com]

I don't think Jode Foster is an out lesbian. But she is rumored to be a lesbian.

[Typical]

Northbit, it is silly excuses like that that ensure such things still go on. Wonder why it is predominantly black men that are put in such roles. Yes, it is 'just a movie', but why aren't more white actors put in roles why they display such idiocy, except it's in a comedy?

[theblackactor.com]

I'm thinking Northbit is not black. I'm just sayin'.

[Nic]

Ok. I know I am very late to this topic but I JUST saw The Brave One this weekend. I wanted to see some movies so I rented it. Lawd Have Mercy!!!

When I saw the ending I yelled out "WHAT?" "You have got to be kidding me?"

It wasn't that the ending was bad in and of itself. It was that this ending did not fit this movie. I mean, how long did Erica and Det Mercer know each other? A couple of days? A week maybe? And he grew that attached to her that he would jeopardize his life and career to satisfy her need for revenge?!?!?!?! The viewer is supposed to buy that?!?!?

[theblackactor.com]

@ Nic

EXACTLY!!!