MOVIEmeter
Top 5000
Down 1,639 this week

Harry Brown (2009)

 -  Action | Crime | Drama  -  11 November 2009 (UK)
7.2
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.2/10 from 50,744 users   Metascore: 55/100
Reviews: 205 user | 205 critic | 35 from Metacritic.com

An elderly ex-serviceman and widower looks to avenge his best friend's murder by doling out his own form of justice.

Director:

Writer:

(screenplay)
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 444 titles created 28 May 2011
 
a list of 2364 titles created 4 months ago
 
a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 1269 titles created 6 months ago
 
a list of 235 titles created 15 Sep 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Harry Brown (2009)

Harry Brown (2009) on IMDb 7.2/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Harry Brown.
1 win & 3 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Layer Cake (2004)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Stars: Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy, Sienna Miller
The Bank Job (2008)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Martine offers Terry a lead on a foolproof bank hit on London's Baker Street. She targets a roomful of safe deposit boxes worth millions in cash and jewelry. But Terry and his crew don't realize the boxes also contain a treasure trove of dirty secrets - secrets that will thrust them into a deadly web of corruption and illicit scandal.

Director: Roger Donaldson
Stars: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore
Inside Man (2006)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A cop has to talk down a bank robber after the criminal's perfect heist spirals into a hostage situation.

Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.6/10 X  

A professional assassin rescues a teenage girl whose parents were killed in a police raid.

Director: Luc Besson
Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

An FBI undercover agent infilitrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life to the expense of his regular one.

Director: Mike Newell
Stars: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen
The Town (2010)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.

Director: Ben Affleck
Stars: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm
Collateral (2004)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in LA. He must find a way to save both himself and one last victim.

Director: Michael Mann
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith
Training Day (2001)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn
Lord of War (2005)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an Interpol agent.

Director: Andrew Niccol
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Bridget Moynahan, Jared Leto
Falling Down (1993)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

An unemployed defense worker frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society, begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.

Director: Joel Schumacher
Stars: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey
Traitor (2008)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

When straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn.

Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Stars: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Saïd Taghmaoui
Goodfellas (1990)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.8/10 X  

Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
D.S. Terry Hicock (as Charlie Creed Miles)
...
...
...
...
...
Jamie Downey ...
Lee Oakes ...
...
...
Marva Alexander ...
Nurse #1
Liz Daniels ...
...
Stunt Neighbour (as Marvin Stewart-Campbell)
Edit

Storyline

In England, retired marine Harry Brown spends his lonely life between the hospital, where his beloved wife Kath is terminally ill, and playing chess with his only friend Leonard Attwell in the Barge pub owned by Sid Rourke. After the death of Kath, Len tells his grieving friend that the local gang is harassing him and he is carrying an old bayonet for self-defense; the widower suggests him to go to the police. When Len is beaten, then stabbed to death in an underground passage, Inspector Alice Frampton and her partner Sergeant Terry Hicock are sent to investigate. They pay Harry a visit but don't have good news; the police have not found any other evidence, other than the bayonet, in order to arrest the hoodlums. This mean that should the case go to trial the gang would claim self-defense. Harry Brown sees that justice will not be granted and decides to take matters into his own hands. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

gang | police | widower | self defense | arrest | See more »

Taglines:

One man will take a stand. See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, drug use and sexual content | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

| |  »

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

11 November 2009 (UK)  »

Also Known As:

Hari Braun  »

Box Office

Budget:

$7,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$173,353 (USA) (30 April 2010)

Gross:

$1,818,681 (USA) (6 August 2010)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

|

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The woman singing 'Gold' in the pub was the unit nurse on the film. See more »

Goofs

Harry Brown makes a reference to the abdominal wound of the gun dealer as probably involving his liver. The liver is in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, the bullet wound was in the left lower quadrant making this reference inaccurate. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Man1: Do you want it, fella, huh?
Man2: Yeah.
Man1: Because you wanted this yesterday, brother. You wanna do this shit?
Man2: Let's go.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Trip: The Inn at Whitewell (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

"End Credits"
Performed by Chase & Status featuring Ben Drew (as Plan B)
Written by William Kennard, Saul Milton and Ben Drew
Published by Universal Music Publishing/Pure Groove Music Ltd
Master Recording courtesy of Vertigo Records
Under LIcense from Universal Music Operations Ltd
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Caine opens his legs and shows his class
19 November 2009 | by (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews

The movie is set in The Elephant and Castle where I, as a 17 year old, went to a strip joint in a well dodgy pub during a visit to London. If I'd have seen this film beforehand I'd not have gone within a mile of the area, never mind into its seedy interior.

Apparently Michael Caine is from "The Elephant" so this was probably quite a nostalgic road trip for him. In the movie he plays a vigilante gradually becoming more and more determined to avenge the brutal murder of his old mate (fast on the heels of his wife's death) at the hands of a bunch of local scum who terrorise the neighbourhood.

This is no ordinary vigilante movie and, although I haven't seen it, it must bear considerable comparison to Grand Torino where another fine actor in his latter years dominates a movie.

The casting is wonderful and the thugs that terrify the local community are entirely believable. But from start to finish this is Caine's movie. He plays his part with massive pathos. We feel deeply sorry for him as, first, his wife and, then, his only chum pass away leaving him quietly tormented and then incredibly angry as he learns that his mates death was mockingly filmed on a mobile phone to the accompaniment of raucous laughter.

The brutality of this movie is searing and really shocking at times. The riot scene is entirely believable, which is difficult to achieve on a low budget but certainly hits the spot. It plays an important central role in undermining the police and showing them off as the useless and uncaring force that director, Daniel Barber is keen to establish .

Two things make this movie a real stand out; Caine and the pacing of the action.

It starts brutally slowly and gradually winds up in pace and tension but never to Hollywood proportions. Don't forget that Caine is a pensioner! Amazingly it holds your belief throughout - not an inconsiderable achievement in a genre that tends to become overblown and ridiculous.

I expect Michael Caine will get a BAFTA nomination for this (at the very least). He might even win because his performance is stunning. I certainly hope so.

His best performance? Arguably.

A great film? Definitely.


88 of 125 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
I wish the movie was 'closed captioned'. jawebster2000
Do UK police not any carry firearms or receive training for it? quixmelo
Visiting the UK - be serious, please! Crime free areas? scarletclaw
this film is good until... sophocles_the_avenger
Sometimes an oppressive government can be good. thismovieissobad
Most inept portrayal of police ever trytych-88-706901
Discuss Harry Brown (2009) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?