John Chard

There is no going back, to that other person, that other place. This thing, this stranger, she is all you are now. Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) survives a vicious subway attack that saw her intended husband killed. Unsatisfied with the police efforts to catch the killers, and submerged by grief, she decides to take matters into her own hands and clear the streets of criminal vermin... Well there's no getting away from it, this is basically a feminist version of Death Wish. Director Neil Jordan pitches the always great Foster right into the moral quagmire of vigilante justice. This is a smart and provocative vigilante thriller at the core, yet the preposterous machinations on show render it somewhat annoying - none more so than with the finale which is just ridiculous. Erica takes up a gun, it becomes her comfort blanket, and as she battles with self loathing of what she is doing, she amazingly starts ridding the streets of scumbags. We are also asked to swallow that she becomes very tight to the lead detective investigating the vigilante crimes, played by Terence Howard (superb). Unfortunately, Jordan seems to run out of guts to follow through in creating something worth saying. Instead pitching Erica in increasingly daft situations, with dialogue to match, for a film with a lady lead kicking butt, the whole thing actually lacks balls. The lead actors ensure it's no stinker, and who doesn't feel a punch the air moment in them as scumbag criminals gets what's due? But really it's an above average vigilante film at best. 6/10