Ingredients: Michael Caine, David Bradley, Emily Mortimer, Charlie Creed-Miles, Iain Glen, Sean Harris, Liam Cunningham and Ben Drew. Directed by Daniel Barber. Run time: 97 minutes. Rated: R.
At First Bite: Having only heard of the original GET CARTER and Caine's Harry Palmer movies, I felt obliged to actually see him in a gritty, head-busting role. I could not miss out on a British version of DEATH WISH starring Michael Caine.
Harry Brown (Caine) is a retired British marine and pensioner living in a rundown apartment complex in South London. He spends his days visiting his wife in the hospital and playing chess at the pub with his friend, Leonard (Bradley).
Drug-pushing, gun-toting juvenile delinquents have set up shop in the underpass near the estate. They even harass the old folks and randomly beat up passersby.
Things go wrong when Leonard tries to take matters into his own hands. Harry, who has put his marine days behind him, must decide whether to just stay out of trouble or stand up to the gang and set things right.
Some of the drug dealers start dropping like flies. The police chief suspects the deaths are a result of a gang war. Detective Inspector Frampton (Mortimer), on the other hand, thinks the evidence points to Harry.
Tough to Swallow: The movie is obviously set in London, but, apparently, the graffiti shown is by internationally known American graffiti artists.
Something to Chew On: Theater audience = 14. Numbers might be skewed due to the fact this showing and the start of the live-action stunt show overlapped.
This is Barber's directorial debut. His 2007 film THE TONTO WOMAN was nominated for an Oscar (Best Short Film, Live Action).
The movie won the 2010 Empire Award for Best British Film; the film was also nominated for Best Thriller. Caine was nominated for Best Actor.
The film's budget was $7.3 million.
HARRY BROWN just had its official U.S. release (April 30, 2010). The movie, released in 19 theaters, grossed $173,353 in its opening weekend.
The film currently has a 7.5 user rating on IMDb.com (9,255 votes).
Aftertaste: It's depressing and gritty, and the film, for the most part, seems to have the color sucked out of it to force that feeling. It's really, really gray at times. Maybe to show how foggy morality can be.
You feel bad for Harry. He's all alone, and his neighborhood is falling apart. But, on the other hand, you want him to remember his days as a marine in Northern Ireland and go beat the snot out of those druggie teenagers.
Not necessarily a lot of action for a movie in an action film festival. It's a dramatic thriller. I'm not complaing though. Caine is one of the best actors of all-time, and he doesn't disappoint here. You can liken Caine's vigilante to Clint Eastwood's performance in GRAN TORINO. Harry Brown is old. He suffers from emphysema. He lives alone. But, he has a military background and a breaking point. He really doesn't have anything to live for except for revenge.
It's a dark film that relies on Caine's powerful portrayal of Harry.
Really, though, some parts of the movie are rather disturbing and disgusting. There's definitely nothing pretty about this film. You're forced to want Harry to rid the streets of all the wrongdoers, even if they are misguided teenagers.
It's a vigilante movie. That's the point.
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