Brazen Review: Alyssa Milano's murder mystery lacks the smartness to be a slick thriller

Brazen

Brazen Cast: Alyssa Milano, Emilie Ullerup

Brazen Director: Monika Mitchell

Brazen Stars: 2/5 

The one thing I appreciate about streaming platforms is the fact that they serve as a home to all sorts of entertainment. On one hand, it could be a cine lover's paradise with some of the most significant works by world-famous filmmakers to offer and on the other, it also hosts the cringiest content, the stuff that makes it to our guilty pleasure lists. While watching Brazen, that's exactly the thought I had. The film based on one of Nora Roberts' novels seems perfect for a Netflix watch given how it requires the least amount of concentration.  

The Alyssa Milano starter finds itself in an erotic-mystery genre and while there's a lot of potential that the genre holds, this happens to be yet another addition to the list of films that have managed to disappoint since before. As for Brazen, there's no doubt that if one decides to watch the film for its silly plot, there's a lot to enjoy here but think about it seriously and you will lose patience. Despite its one hour thirty-minute runtime, you will be surprised how easily the film will get you antsy for its predictable climax. 

In Brazen, Milano stars as Grace Miller, a celebrity author who has a massive fan base for her crime novels. According to Miller, she has the quality to get inside the head of a killer. On receiving a call from her sister, Kathleen (Emilie Ullerup) who mentions she's in need of some urgent help, Grace (Milano) heads to her sister's house, which also happens to be the house that the duo grew up in. She soon learns that her sister is hoping to mortgage their childhood home to pay for legal fees against her ex-husband who is a powerful businessman amid a custody battle for her son. During her stay at Kathleen's house, Grace also befriends her neighbour, Ed (Sam Page), a homicide detective. Just when the sisters are about to reconnect with one another, an unfortunate incident leads to Kathleen's death. Grace then finds herself on a murder mystery as she tries to connect the dots to help the cops nab her sister's killer. 

Among many other things, Brazen's plot is beyond predictable and if you felt the mix of kink and crime could have worked wonders in terms of Roberts' book's cinematic adaptation, under Monika Mitchell's direction, it doesn't. The film starts off on a decently intriguing note as we get an insight into Kathleen's dual life as a schools teacher and an online dominatrix early on but as it progresses further, the plot finds itself becoming more and more archaic in terms of the execution of the crime genre. 

With little novelty shown in the way Milano's character goes about solving her sister's murder mystery, the viewer is left to enjoy the film as a mere popcorn entertainer instead of being arrested by its mystery or suspense. There are several points during which the film becomes unintentionally funny thanks to its contrived dialogue. It's probably funniest when you feel that the cast of the film may be taking this project too seriously than what it actually is on paper. Treat it as just another poorly crafted murder mystery that could work best as an escape room experience and you will enjoy it. 

The film's plot remains basic and for those who have been ardent fans of the crime/thriller genre, the climax may not shock or surprise you. While I won't be giving away any spoilers, I can tell you that ways in which Grace Miller decides to nab her sister's killer are beyond amusing. The obvious mistakes with the film remain how easily Miller gets permission to work on her sister's case without having any knowledge as such about nabbing killers, I mean, not everyone can be Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) can they? The love angle between Miller and detective Ed also seems to be a completely unnecessary sub-plot. 

ALSO READ: Alyssa Milano opens up on her experience with Covid-19

In terms of performances, considering how mediocre the story and its execution is, no one really stands out and that it's clear how the lead cast tries hard to stick to the script and unfortunately it doesn't help them much. Alyssa Milano as Grace Miller tries hard to make her character stand out as someone who is extremely sharp but sadly the kind of cringey lines she gets make it harder for us to take her seriously. 

It's the start of a new year and with many of us heading back into quarantine with the latest surge in COVID-19 cases all over the world, my suggestion would be that you keep Brazen on your watchlist for a day when you're too fried with the problems of the wold and are looking for something absolutely silly and popcorn worthy to enjoy.