Rent Harry Brown (2009)

Better than Death Wish - Harry Brown review by CSF

I was pleasantly surprised. I watched this film because of what I read in Michael Caine's self-bio. The film was simple, effective, moving even delicate despite the violence. But the violence was not complaisant for the sake of the show, it was necessary to expose it because this exists. My favourite quotations is:

Police woman : "Harry, you are not in Northern Ireland"

Harry : " That's right, in Northern Ireland, they kill for a cause. Here, they kill for entertainment.

Not to be missed. A little gem.

An interesting fantasy... - Harry Brown review by CP Customer

...in which all of both the perpetrators and victims of gun and drug crime in the sink estates of modern Britain are white. I deplore the blatant lack of 'diversity' in this film. But who needs the truth when we can be entertained by the kind of fiction the self flagellating liberal middle class white chatterattzi persist in believing in the face of cold evidence?

Aside from that appalling dishonesty (which does black people a great disservice), the film was half decent.

A staggering Caine leads this incredible film about revenge, anger & the poison of violence - Harry Brown review by Timmy B

I will never forget seeing this film. It is burned into my memory, such is it's power. I had heard rave reviews for it, then managed to score a ticket to an advanced preview screening weeks before it's release. From it's opening moments, with grainy mobile phone footage capturing horrific random violence, then watching as a seemingly mild-mannered & frail pensioner transforms into an avenging angel, I was captivated. But it is also a film which emphatically shows the negatives of this journey, not just becoming another Death Wish knock-off.

Harry Brown is a retired Royal Marine Commando, who lives a mundane & simple life on a London estate. He visits his wife every day in hospital, who is in the final stages of a horrific terminal disease. Aside from an occasional pint with his friend Len, he keeps an extremely low profile. Then one day, Len is murdered by a group of thugs who have been terrorising the estate & whose behaviour has spiralled out of control. After being told that the police will not be prosecuting them, Harry's anger explodes & he launches a one-man mission to exact revenge on the youths.

What I love most about this film is how carefully it is scripted & crafted. The world that Brown lives in is one which many people recognise, even though there were some commentators at the time who hysterically accused it of sensationalism. And whilst with every film there is dramatic licence taken, there were hundreds of stories of communities being terrorised by these sorts of individuals, who felt powerless to act.

It is also unashamedly shown, like with many of the best revenge thrillers, just how impactful Brown's actions are to him, in the sense of starting to enjoy & get satisfaction from the wrongs he feels he is righting, but never straying into the danger territory of cliché. Whilst some stories leave you at the end wondering whether the person becomes someone who cannot live without violence, there is a clear line drawn under this, which perfectly compliments the story arc.

Having said all that, I cannot in any way deny the satisfaction of seeing Brown terrorise & bring rough justice to some of the vermin who have not only killed his friend but brought fear to countless others. But the film is just as powerful when Brown himself opens up to one of these individuals, sharing his own pain from his military service.

As Harry Brown, Michael Caine is absolutely sensational. His decades of acting & wealth of experience pay dividends here, making Brown both a man filled with anger & pain, the two emotions constantly fighting each other but clearly destroying him. And that is such a rarity in these types of films, or if there is some attempt to give the protagonist layers, the actor is better at firing a gun than expressing personal trauma.

The supporting cast are great, in particular Emily Mortimer & David Bradley. Jack O'Connell & Plan B also bring suitably disgusting energy to their characters. Another perfect part of this film is the soundtrack. Mixing hip-hop & rap with traditional but beautiful brass original compositions, the music truly becomes another character. Daniel Barber's direction is also exceptional.

This is one of those films which genuinely is as good as you think it will be. And Caine proves once again why he is one of our greatest ever actors

Excellent! - Harry Brown review by JT

Not at all what I was expecting so pleasantly surprised! Enjoyed it and portrayed what life can be like for many people. A definate watch.

Tough & Bold British Crime Thriller - Harry Brown review by GI

A tough, brutal and in very gritty British social crime drama and thriller that has its roots in the vigilante sub-genre. On the surface the film follows the normal narrative structure of films of this type, e.g. ex military expert, inadequate justice system, animalistic criminals, but with Michael Caine, the very British urban housing estate setting and some fantastic characters this is a really sharp and interesting film. It has it's flaws not least that Emily Mortimer's police detective character is somewhat underused and incomplete, but this is balanced by Sean Harris' fantastic performance as a zombie-like drug dealing criminal and Liam Cunningham as the bored pub landlord with a secret. Caine is the titular Harry, a lonely, recently widowed pensioner who lives on a London council estate riven with gang crime. Harry avoids any confrontations until his only friend, Len (David Bradley) is murdered and he decides that the only avenue open to him is to take the law into his own hands as he finds the police to be ineffective. For the most part this is a sad indictment of modern Britain but it does dip into cliché in some of the characterisations such as Iain Glen's arrogant police commander and the riot scenes don't quite hit the mark and serve only to conveniently allow a plot point. But that aside this is a strong Michael Caine film and Harry Brown is clearly written for him. A very British take on the 'Death Wish' scenario and a film that really hits the spot.

Great Micheal Caine Film - A British Death Wish - Harry Brown review by OL

A British Death Wish- Ex Marine goes vigilante after police failure to find his friend's murderers. Great film, still waiting for sequel?

Vigilante - British Style - Harry Brown review by CD

I found this film very slow moving to begin with, albeit with fine actors. Once the violence starts and one discovers Harry's Royal Marines' background it is fairly obvious where this is heading. On the plus side, some of the scenes get into the sheer horror of drug gang morals and culture, but otherwise there is very little exploration of any of the characters, and it is a bleak film in a world where force prevails. Worth a watch, if only for Michael Caine in a UK film role.