Harry Brown (C or 2/4 stars)
Michael Caine tries to one-up Charles Bronson in Death Wish wannabe, 'Harry Brown' (directed by newcomer Daniel Barber). In a seedy England suburb, ex-Marine Harry Brown (Caine) spends his lonely existence btwn. the hospital, where his wife is terminally ill, & playing chess at Sid Rourke's pub with his old pal, Leonard (David Bradley). Crime is a BIG problem in the neighborhood. Local hooligans/gangs are assaulting pedestrians, & the cops, led by Inspector Alice Frampton (Emily Mortimer) & her partner, Terry Hicock (Charlie Creed-Miles), aren't able to do much under their current jurisdiction. Most of the cops are corrupt, weak, or altogether ignorant of the crimes. And Harry's friend Len informs him that he even carries an old bayonet on him for self-defense.
2 awful things then happen to Harry. 1) his beloved wife, Kath, finally succumbs. And 2) his pal, Leonard, is murdered in a nearby underground passage way by said hooligans. With that, Harry sees that justice won't prevail as long as the law system sits by idly. His Royal Marines persona re-emerges, he grabs his gun, & hopes to achieve justice himself. Even though Harry is in his 70's (& has emphysema), he intends to show no mercy to the murderous youth.
As mentioned, 'Harry Brown' is simply a poor man's 'Death Wish' in a current setting, with a different actor, & a more gruesome set of occurrences. I was immediately turned off by the crass 1st scene (a handheld camera features a motorcycle rampage on an innocent bystander - with a baby). And I suppose you can spin the theme(s) of the film; so as to show it as a meditation about the degradation of suburban society; or impoverished youth relegating to bloody violence when the goings get tough. However, I see the movie for what it is: a well acted, but borrrring vengeance flick that exploits gore & an ugly portrait of youth. The direction is intermittently slick. Caine is swell. His Harry Brown is an old man who's been through enough experiences to substantiate his vigilante status. There's a VERY unnerving scene involving Caine & a drugster in a marijuana greenhouse. The showdown (& moments leading to it) are exceptionally done. So tense.
But as I said, most of the proceedings are boring. This movie is 97 min. long; and I swear ... nearly every scene goes on for a few seconds longer than it should -- several beats. So, the film could have easily been 70-75 min. long with the same effect. There's just very little to this depraved story -- empty space. 'Harry Brown' is slow, bleak, profane, familiar (from other vengeance movies), & masked in a facade of Caine's excellence. Some deaths are uncalled for. I did not feel catharsis in the end. And I don't think this derivative film will be remembered much in the pantheon of crime drama cinema.
2 awful things then happen to Harry. 1) his beloved wife, Kath, finally succumbs. And 2) his pal, Leonard, is murdered in a nearby underground passage way by said hooligans. With that, Harry sees that justice won't prevail as long as the law system sits by idly. His Royal Marines persona re-emerges, he grabs his gun, & hopes to achieve justice himself. Even though Harry is in his 70's (& has emphysema), he intends to show no mercy to the murderous youth.
As mentioned, 'Harry Brown' is simply a poor man's 'Death Wish' in a current setting, with a different actor, & a more gruesome set of occurrences. I was immediately turned off by the crass 1st scene (a handheld camera features a motorcycle rampage on an innocent bystander - with a baby). And I suppose you can spin the theme(s) of the film; so as to show it as a meditation about the degradation of suburban society; or impoverished youth relegating to bloody violence when the goings get tough. However, I see the movie for what it is: a well acted, but borrrring vengeance flick that exploits gore & an ugly portrait of youth. The direction is intermittently slick. Caine is swell. His Harry Brown is an old man who's been through enough experiences to substantiate his vigilante status. There's a VERY unnerving scene involving Caine & a drugster in a marijuana greenhouse. The showdown (& moments leading to it) are exceptionally done. So tense.
But as I said, most of the proceedings are boring. This movie is 97 min. long; and I swear ... nearly every scene goes on for a few seconds longer than it should -- several beats. So, the film could have easily been 70-75 min. long with the same effect. There's just very little to this depraved story -- empty space. 'Harry Brown' is slow, bleak, profane, familiar (from other vengeance movies), & masked in a facade of Caine's excellence. Some deaths are uncalled for. I did not feel catharsis in the end. And I don't think this derivative film will be remembered much in the pantheon of crime drama cinema.