Harry Brown

Harry Brown

Now here is a nice return to form!  Michael Caine is one of the greats, but age has kept him from starring in as many films these days.  I'm sure the selection isn't the best either for actors his age, no matter how talented.  Thank goodness for Christopher Nolan who has had the good sense to use Caine in his Batman trilogy, The Prestige, and Inception.  But as great as Caine is in these movies, his roles are supporting.  I think an actor of his caliber still has the goods to carry his own movie; we just need a director willing to give it a go.

Enter Daniel Barber and Harry Brown.  Sort of a pensioner version of Death Wish, Harry Brown is about Harry, a retired Korean war veteran living in a gang-ridden English slum.  Harry is not doing so well.  Recently widowed, he walks around his neighborhood like a ghost, waiting for his emphezema to finish him off.  At least he has a good friend in Leonard (David Bradley), but even their conversations aren't very peachy.  The gang problem in the neighborhood is getting worse, and Leonard is getting pushed around.  The old man wants to strike back.  Harry advises him not to.  But when Leonard is brutally murdered, enough is enough.  Harry might be in his 70s, but it is time to take back the neighborhood.

This might sound silly, but the film gets a lot right.  First of all, Harry never acts younger than he is.  In a Hollywood version, Harry would be able to take on some of these youngsters in a real fight.  While watching older folks kick butt can make for a fun movie (hello, Expendables!), it's hardly realistic.  And Harry Brown takes a very real approach.  If you were 70, and trying to figure out how to kill everyone in the local gang, how would you go about doing it?  It's a good question, and one that Harry Brown enjoys answering.

I also admired that fact that the movie admits that Harry might not even be right in his pursuit of vengeance.  Sure, some members of the gang are just plain evil, but the movie doesn't present all of them as cartoon bad guys and admits that these young men could very much be a product of a failed economic system or other societal problems.  The movie makes very clear that one of the kids has been dealing with years of sexual abuse.  Harry doesn't care.  Harry just wants them all dead.  And that makes for an interesting movie. 

Harry Brown is also Daniel Barber's first film, and he directs with a sure hand and a good feel for atmosphere.  I'll have to keep an eye on him as his career continues to develop.  And the acting is quite good along the board.  Caine is ably supported by a great cast including Emily Mortimer and Liam Cunningham, but make no mistake - this is Caine's show and he is nothing short of terrific.  In a different actor's hands, I'm not sure the movie would have worked quite as well.  I think it would have been interesting, but that's about it.  But Caine's performance is so compelling, it completely absorbs us into the storyline. 

Admittedly, the film does kind of fall apart at the end.  For some reason, they felt the need to add a twist which was completely unnecessary.  But apart from the last 10 minutes, this is quality filmmaking, and shows that Caine is still at the top of his game.


BEST LINE:

Detective Frampton: It's not Northern Ireland, Harry.

Harry Brown: No, it isn't.  Those people...were fighting for something, for a cause.  To them out there, it's just entertainment.

MVP:
Hey, there is no doubt.  This is Michael Caine's show.  He dominates this movie, showing us that his acting powers have not diminished.  I'm glad Nolan is keeping Caine in quality films, but other movie producers have to step up, too.  This guy still has it!  Let's get him in more good movies now while we can!!

TRIVIA:
Michael Caine took the role because he saw a lot of himself in Harry Brown.  They were both combat veterans (Caine served in the Korean War) and Caine used to live in the area where Brown does.