Harry Brown (2009) User Reviews

Required viewing for pensioners!!

[petej90 · 8/10 · 11 November 2009]

The pre main-credit sequence, shot to resemble mobile-phone footage, had the desired effect: the sense of shock from the capacity audience was palpable. The film then slows down to show the reality of Harry Brown's life as a pensioner on a South London high-rise estate . Showing his routine of walking to the hospital to visit his very ill wife, having to walk a long way round to avoid confrontation with an unseen group of youths who use an underpass as their base and his meetings with his old friend and chess partner Lenny in the estate pub. There aren't many other people walking about the estate, even in daylight, out of fear of the gun-carrying teenage gangs.

Michael Caine's performance as Harry Brown is wonderful. His timing is spot-on. Credit to director Daniel Barber for allowing him space to breathe and not be hurried. In fact the overall pacing is excellent. There is good use of the soundtrack with the lack of intrusive music adding to the reality feel of the film. The night scenes are beautifully lit as well with a good balance between just enough to see what's going on and making the lighting realistic: the night scene in the pub with the lights out, for instance.

This film has been compared to 'Death Wish' and 'Gran Torino', but those films haven't got this film's bleak, realistic look at how life is in these areas. There always remains a sense of watching a film, of entertainment, of it being 'Hollywood'. This is a lot more down to earth. This film has more in common with Mike Leigh's TV drama 'Meantime' and with 'Gomorra'.

This isn't an easy 'first-date' film but it is a superior Brit film, one of the best for many years. I'm glad to see that it has got some marketing push behind it and has generated column inches talking about the subject of these 'no-go' areas and society in general.

Shocking and brilliant.

A lot of Blood under the bridge

[CihanVercan · 8/10 · 17 December 2009]

Michael Caine portrays Harry Brown, an aged honest joe living in a city of chaos, where juveniles are driven into drugs and crime. A new angle of view to the 90s' popular crime genre since Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs(1992) and Danny Boyle's Trainspotting(1996)... Essentially, this movie suggests what can be done with streets when an old chap, who has a medal-of-honor in naval forces, is left alone in his small apartment. It offers an excellent concept through aged Harry Brown's point of view, which is as good as the past summer's animation hit: Up.

It's obvious that the film draws huge benefit from its thematic values. First, Harry Brown's wife passes away due to geriatric causes. Then, his close friend and neighbour Leonard Atwoll gets killed by rounder juveniles at a night time. Whilst having a life-time crisis, police come to his door for investigation of Atwoll's murdering. Under a confusion of fear, anger and despair; all of a sudden he finds himself running after the vengeance of his friend Atwoll. Keeping track of the street gangs, he lays a trap to show up as a businessman trading guns with them. Since it's Michael Caine as we know him, he is an expert at fooling people with detracting their attention; so by courtesy of his timing skills and luck, he dishes those young criminals one by one.

Above all, Daniel Barber as a director turns this such a run-of-the-mill plot into a great suspense/thriller story. He tries to prove that Harry Brown's first murder was unwillingly just an accident but his last was a psychopathic mincing! Same idea here as the way Brown removing the traces behind him, starts with cleaning and collecting garbage, then turns out to setting fire and sabotaging locations. Besides, characterization is at its best. The criminals were so factual. As an important technical detail the sounds have been captured marvellously (with the echoes of fired bullets being heard behind windows), and this is what makes a crime movie makes sense.

Crime/suspense/thriller genre is getting better and better year after year. While we still see a lot of underdeveloped action and shallow crime movies all around, it's obvious that Harry Brown is noteworthy and a must see for the genre followers.

Michael Caine still has the class to carry a film.

[RedRoadster · 7/10 · 14 November 2009]

Daniel Barbers disturbing vision of life on a South London Council estate was filmed in and around the Elephant and castle where leading man Michael Caine actually spent his formative years.

As the film's protagonist, the titular "Harry Brown" Caine plays a retired ex-marine who loses his wife to illness in the opening stage of the film. Clinging to his old moral values, disciplined and always wearing a tie, he is an example of the post war generation who are becoming fewer and fewer on the estate. His only enjoyment seems to be having a drink and a game of chess in his local pub with his friend Leonard. When Leonard reacts to the increasing violence on the estate by confronting the gang responsible, he is brutally murdered. Harry is informed by the police of this incident and it hurts him terribly, telling the police that they are powerless to do anything about it. Slowly and almost imperceptibly, Harry snaps and decides that he is going to sort it out the old fashioned way.

It is obvious that this film owes much to Michael Winners "Death Wish" (1974) but this story is so much more bleak and depressing. The young actors who play the gang members are so realistic that they are uncomfortable to watch. The story shows you failings in society at every level and a police division run by a superintendent who is content to put up token resistance and little else. Harry Brown does what most people would like to do deep down inside and take the fight to the criminals.

Michael Caine does a great job of getting the best out of a poor script that doesn't give enough dialogue to flesh out the characters properly. He makes the transition from pensioner to vigilante credibly and without becoming a totally different character. The limited sets add an effective touch of claustrophobia but I found the unrelenting depictions of sleaze and urban decay a bit tough to take. There are some very uncomfortable scenes of drug use and violence also, particularly the climactic shoot out in the pub. The supporting cast are competent enough with Ben Drew standing out in his role as the particularly nasty young scum bag "Noel" . Emily Mortimer as DI Frampton is fairly inert and has only one facial expression and a vague attitude throughout the whole film which puts you off feeling much for her character.

"Harry Brown" is not a pleasant film to watch, but it is certainly an experience which will pull on every one of your your emotions and is impossible to ignore.

Retired Royal Marine , masterfully played by Michael Caine , carries out a bloody vendetta against murderers , junkies and punks

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 29 September 2014]

This is the known story of a man become into vigilante . An elderly ex-serviceman and widower , Harry Brown , (Michael Caine) looks to avenge his best friend (David Bradley)'s murder by doling out his own form of justice . As a retired man turned vigilante and taking the law into his own hands as judge , jury and executioner. As every man has a breaking point . Harry turns the one-man vigilante when his friend is attacked , beaten and then stabbed to death in an underground passage carried out by furious band formed by some ominous punks . Then he stalks the slums of London and takes the law into his own hands, searching vengeance on crooks, hoodlums, druggies , muggers, pimps , making the neighborhood safer and bumping off delinquents and street scum . Meanwhile , police officers D.I. Alice Frampton (Emily Mortimer) and D.S. Terry Hicock (Charlie Creed-Miles) are investigating the deeds and Police Superintendent Childs (Iain Glen) orders a major arrest operation believing the recent violence is related to a gang war. The late-night raids on the neighbourhood result in a massive riot .

This interesting picture has suspense , emotion , intrigue , thrills and lots of violence . It's certainly thrilling , though the morality may be questionable , even in this time, as the spectators were clearly on the Harry Brown's side . Michael Caine with his usual top-notch acting displays efficiently his weapon such as ¨Harry the Dirty¨ and killing mercilessly nasties . Michael Caine saw a lot of himself in the character of Harry Brown, e.g. they're both combat veterans , as Harry is a Marine who served in Northern Ireland, Caine served in the British Army during the Korean war , and Caine lived in the same area that Brown does , it was things like these that drew him to the film . Secondary cast is frankly excellent such as Emily Mortimer , Charlie Creed-Miles , David Bradley , Iain Glen , Sean Harris, Ben Drew and special mention to Liam Cunningham as Sid Rourke . This is Daniel Barber's nice feature debut , he's now shooting ¨The keeping room¨ with Hailee Steinfeld , Sam Worthington and Brit Marling .

This exciting and above average film belong to ¨Vigilante genre¨ whose main representations are ¨Charles Bronson's Death Wish¨ , successful crime thriller that created the Vigilante genre with Bronson as the main star such as ¨Death wish II¨ ¨Death wish III¨ , ¨Death Wish 4 : The crackdown¨and ¨Death Wish: The face of death¨ and , of course , ¨Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry¨ movies , such as ¨The enforcers¨, ¨Sudden impact¨ and ¨The dead pool¨ . Furthermore , other notorious movies on the ¨Revenger¨ genre that achieved their splendor in the eighties are the followings : ¨Exterminator¨ I and II with Robert Ginty ; ¨Vigilante¨ by William Lusting with Robert Foster , Fred Williamson ; ¨Walking the edge¨ by Norbert Meisel with Robert Foster and Nancy Kwan ; ¨Dark Angel¨ with Betty Russell ; ¨Steele Justice¨ with Martin Kove ¨; ¨The Punisher¨ with Dolph Lundgren , ¨Joe Don Baker's Walking tall¨ saga ; ¨Lorenzo Lamas's Snake eater¨ saga , ¨Arnold's Raw Deal¨ , ¨Stallone's Cobra¨ and many others .

Modern Britain

[srlawton-578-345144 · 10/10 · 10 November 2009]

This film accurately depicts life in modern Britain today.

Not the image of a flowing rolling countryside of middle class England which is often depicted in typical international films but one of an inner city "sink" estate - Elephant & Castle in London - with all of its associated problems.

I saw the film last night and it brought back all the memories I have of having lived in similar circumstances.

Michael Caine is excellent, this is probably one of his best films and I expect film nominations for his role.

The film gives a gritty but realistic view of the life most people live on the sink estates of Britain, all are there through no choice of their own, but some are aware of the conditions they are forced to live in.

I don't think we'll see the British government promoting this film as it portraits the country in a very bad light, though, if you are not from Britain and would like a taste of what some of us have to put up with I recommend you see this film.

Overall, a very well put together film which will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up at times.

Well done Michael and all of the team.

So Sad

[mmunier · 22 October 2010]

I saw this last night and found it a stirring experience. I believe it although aware it was a movie. I'm close to 70 years old and had to take this on board as such. I believe such areas exist and I find it frightening bordering to paranoia. I often hate undue violence and extreme language in cinema, Yet here I did not mind it because I believed this was real. I did not mention anger above, but it certainly was part of my emotion during viewing anger but also hopelessness and helplessness. That right, not everyone is an ex marine or has the character to go through H.B's motion, but we're all exposed to home violent home invasion or other violent event. Perhaps the chance of this happening may equate to winning the lottery, but the media and the 7th art have a filled day with it. Yet it is real and it's a hard task to know if one should bury one's head in the sand and pretend this does not exist or to think one can look after one's self and be able to stand the heat where ever it is. Just as to evaluate if this side of society should be portrayed with positive result or the reverse. I think thugs will always see themselves as heroes in such movies even if they end up with the bad result. As for others they may want the vigilante side of it with possibly dire consequence. Death Wish (I have not seen, and G.Torrino, I have) are mentioned and compared with in many reviews, yes G T did come to my mind too, although for me it was more entertaining than H. B. as I did not feel it to be continuously real. But here I became part of the experience and forgot I was watching a movie. It is also described as being English portrayal. I don't know if this was intended but I certainly don't believe this scene is exclusively English. I'd be surprised if it's not a western world reality and possibly a wide world situation in large urban population, in other words "a jungle rule world" Law and order are becoming increasingly more complex, with so called human right rules, so police efficiency is also increasingly more challenging as the whole scenario is becoming a game where one competitor has to play by the rule and the other just has to win. And victim relatives and Friends are also at odds with perpetrators relatives and friends. I only read, perhaps a dozen of reviews here about Harry Brown and could see it did impact most reviewers. I do agree it is not a perfect movie, with a perfect balance, but I think it perfectly portrays some sad imperfection of our society. It was so good to see Michael Cain acting once more, as for those young people... this was a piece of work too, I hope they, and we always remember it was acting! If you feel like thought provoking entertainment go for it.

Death Wish set in London, exciting but too predictable

[theycallmemrglass · 7/10 · 26 October 2009]

Watched this at a London preview screening

This is an enjoyable, and often tense vigilante film. But don't look for a radical plot line or unpredictable twists because this is simply a straight forward and predictable Death Wish style vigilante story. I'll give absolutely no credit to the screenplay writer for that.

But full marks to the director for turning up the high tensions to make this still an exciting film. Having lived in a council estate myself, I know how frightening some youngsters are and can be more terrifying than the recent flurry of zombie films.

However, this is Michael Caine's show and is a fine addition to the recent surge of old tough guys fighting back movies such as Gran Torino. Caine was brilliant as usual. He makes the most of a pitifully typical script. That is of a widower seeking violent vengeance on the youths who killed his friend. He played it subtle and his vigilante transition was done just right. He isn't turned into some unrealistic slick killing machine or a Rambo. He has typical elderly obstacles such as breathing problems, slow reflexes and old bones but some of his military skills give him a chance. There is a also a sub plot involving a female detective on his trail but it so underwritten, I just didn't care.

The actors playing the youths were very very convincing and help to root for our pensioner hero even more. So it is satisfying to see our legendary cockney actor clean up some really nasty bad guys.

Gritty and Riveting.

[g-harrington · 10/10 · 30 November 2009]

There are no Hollywood moments in this movie, and that's probably why I love it! Possibly the best movie Michael Caine has ever been a part of.

The director does a truly awesome job of portraying his world with convincing and seedy squalour, almost leaving the viewer feeling soiled by the experience. His characters aren't just overtly filthy scum - they're real and believable scum.

Michael's character shines.

The are no violent rape/murder scenes where his family die at the hands of an outlaw biker gang, no terrorists holding his wife to ransom... just an old boy who has seen too many recent horrors to suffer the indignity of it any more.

From a drunken moment where his old military reflexes kick in with shocking consequence, to the understated twist of a finale, you can't help but feel for this man and see good cause for his actions. He's every bit the tired old serviceman whose plight tugs on every decent fibre until you find yourself snapping along with him.

He's no Rambo, no bullet-dodging arse-kicker on a rampage of revenge, and the action manages to paint well within the lines of plausibility. He ambles into the role with dignity - even if he's moving far too well for someone in his condition (emphazema doesn't just kick in after a ten foot jog - it's not asthma), and the impact of his losses is portrayed with a hopeless sadness that rather makes you want to hug the poor soul than scream "revenge".

I enjoyed this movie rather more than I expected to, and I would highly recommend it. It's neatly understated, with the right blend of pace and action. There's never any risk of failing to 'get it' - the director easily renders the various elements of the story in the light he chooses, making a few select points without hammering them home with a cricket bat; his Police are ineffectual bureaucrats, his protagonist is just an old man, and his scum... well, I feel like I've lived with them all my life.

Oh yeah, I have.

A truly entertaining and captivating film that's quintessentially British. You just *have* to watch it.

"You failed to maintain your weapon, son."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 3 September 2019]

This movie has two of the vilest characters I've encountered in film. The first being the street hoodlum Carl (Jamie Downey), who couldn't utter a single sentence without the insertion of some profanity. And then there was Stretch (Sean Harris), keeper of the marijuana farm who looked like death warmed over, that being high praise for one of the creepiest characters I've ever seen. It didn't take much to push pensioner Harry Brown (Michael Caine) over the edge in this story, as the similarities to the Death Wish franchise are very much in evidence, with Harry doling out his brand of punishment and revenge without remorse. The gang assault on the police force attempting to raid the heroin den is all too reminiscent of the disrespect afforded law enforcement in the present day, and a sad commentary on the direction of society if things don't turn around relatively quickly. The only thing I couldn't relate to very well was when Inspector Frampton (Emily Mortimer) presented the news of Leonard Atwell's (David Bradley) death to Harry at the hands of the street thugs. Did you ever see a police detective get weepy delivering that kind of information before?

sheer class and pure personality

[LostInFilmUK · 10/10 · 18 February 2013]

Story/Plot - Harry Brown is the moving film portraying the life on an ex British service man named Harry Brown (Michael Caine). Harry spends most of his days going to visit his very ill wife Kath (Liz Daniels) and playing chess with his best friend Leonard Attwell (David Bradley). Harry and Leonard live on an estate in London which is becoming plagued by the now common youth gang culture. Sadly Harry's wife Kath passes away and all harry has left is Leonard.

Leonard tells Harry that he is being harassed and abused by the local gang, to which Harry begs his friend to take this to the police. Leonard also tells harry that he is carrying a bayonet in order to use as protection for his life. One evening Leonard goes to confront the gang in an underpass as is sadly shot and killed. The police can not prosecute as the court would rule self defence by the shooter.

Harry, who is now very emotionally upset and frustrated by the polices lack of help decides that justice must be served and he takes matters into his own hands. Obtaining a firearm he goes on a one man vigilante spree to rid his estate of the vile pest of the local gang.

My verdict - Follow the explosive and emotionally charged scenes packed so tightly into this wonderful film. You will be saddened, horrified and then brought into a sense of reality that the gang culture problem is portrayed to the truth in this film. I found myself feeling so emotional that a group of youths would kill an elderly man point blank.

Michael Caine portrays Harry Brown with sheer class and pure personality. His acting ability never ceases to amaze. The story and screenplay are explosive and full of emotion, courage and heroism. I beg everyone to watch this film and see how gang culture can ruin a community.

Brilliant Performance Elevates This Film

[Willie-12 · 7/10 · 31 July 2010]

In Harry Brown, we have a movie that really does not bring anything new to the typical formula that is found in most revenge thrillers. A guy gets wronged in one way or another, and he decides to do something about it vigilante style. We've seen it before many, many times. So what do you do when you don't have a whole lot of originality? You get a very good and convincing actor to play the lead role. That's exactly what we get with Brown. The plot is nothing new. The script is decent, but nothing spectacular. And the direction never really seems completely sure of itself. But most of that really doesn't matter here. The bottom line is Michael Caine is brilliant. He plays this character in convincing fashion, and that is what makes this film much better than it really ought to be. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he is awarded with an Oscar nomination come early next year. And he really didn't have to do the work completely on his own. The supporting cast is effective, albeit not very well developed. Emily Mortimer is especially good as the detective who is willing to put her own life in danger in search of the truth. It should be noted though that the film does unravel a bit during the latter part of the second half, and there's a twist at the conclusion that feels a bit forced. However, thanks to Caine, even those hiccups aren't enough to derail the film entirely. During what I personally believe has been a disappointing summer movie season, you could certainly do much worse than Harry Brown.

Death Wish for Grown-ups!

[spookyrat1 · 8/10 · 16 April 2020]

I recently reacquainted myself with Harry Brown which I hadn't seen for 7 or 8 years, to find that the past decade has been kind to it. It seems even better now, than when I first saw it and thought it was pretty good then. Harry Brown represents a fine debut feature film from director Daniel Barber and it is surprising to find he has only directed one other production since.

The story follows Harry Brown, a widowed, Royal Marines veteran who had served and seen plenty of action in Northern Ireland, living on a London housing estate plagued by youth crime. After a violent gang murders his friend, Harry decides to take justice into his own hands.

The story outwardly would seem to follow any number of revenge thriller templates, perhaps most obviously Death Wish. But Harry Brown is one of the most grounded depictions of conflicted vigilantism that I've seen. The set-ups are realistic and the outcomes believable, though undoubtedly exaggerated at times for dramatic emphasis. And make no mistake, this is a suspenseful, dark, but thrilling film, that carries both an emotional and physical punch.

In the title role Sir Michael Caine is sublime and completely in his element as the aged ex-warrior who is seemingly forced into actions that he thought he'd probably left behind decades previous. Imagine a rehabilitated, very senior, Jack Carter, who'd survived the events we saw in Get Carter. That sums up our Harry, who crosses paths with Set. Insp. Alice Frampton, who oozes genuine sympathy and condolences for his losses, but later suspects him of taking the law literally into his own hands. Emily Mortimer is excellent, as the talented detective, genuinely trying to make a difference in some of the worst of London's slum areas. One of the great strengths of the film are the dual storylines of both the protagonist and the police officer who feels a need to keep looking over his shoulder. There are also great turns from Game of Thrones alumni, Liam Cunningham, Iain Glen and David Bradley. Mention must also be made of Ben Drew, better known apparently as a rap singer called Plan B. He manages to personify an inherited evil in his role as gang leader Noel Winters.

Despite not really being an action movie, Harry Brown does feature a couple of quite electrifying set pieces; one involving a visit to a sordid drug den and another being the climactic aftermath to a riot in the housing estate central to the story. As mentioned above, there have been other films like this before, but none quite as believable. Daniel Barber has created a debut film that is maybe not for everyone, but is gripping from start to finish.

The Man With a Name

[rooee · 6/10 · 12 April 2010]

Ad director Daniel Barber's debut feature is an amazingly accomplished, genre-bending thriller set upon the lawless wastes of a modern British housing estate.

The film finds that elusive 'magic' zone between grittily real and exhilaratingly cinematic. This is a heightened reality, where a thug can embody everything rotten with the British underbelly: dealer, rapist, and psychotic gun-runner. But the reaction of Michael Caine's eponymous anti-hero is equally exaggerated: from peaceful pensioner to pistoleer sheriff in a matter of days. A brief backstory about his time in the Marines provides faint validation - like wondering what war the Man With No Name just stepped out of.

Barber's film does what bold statements should do, insofar as it forces us to reconsider the principles that we so complacently construct for ourselves. We can easily watch a Western, for instance, taking it for granted that lawlessness breeds vile vigilantism. We can even revel in it. But transplanted to a modern setting, suddenly this brand of justice skids into a grey area. Harry Brown provides the guilty pleasures of the zero-tolerance peacekeeping practices of the lone frontier lawman without the comforting buffer of 130-odd years.

It's by no means perfect. The police investigation scenes lack the sharpness and immediacy of the estate scenes. And the revelation involving Liam Cunnigham's Sid sets up too neat and stagey a climax - surely an unnecessary twist in an otherwise brutally flat narrative fabric. And, as I'm sure Barber and screenwriter Gary Young were well aware when making it, it's not always clear which faction the filmmakers are seeking to decry.

But to come away from a film feeling exhilarated and guilty and uncertain is a rare thing; and it's most welcome.

Michael Caine takes to the streets in another example of fear-mongering moral bankruptcy

[ajbzerosignal84 · 4/10 · 10 February 2010]

I can't deny the highly authentic and strong performances in this film, particularly that of Michael Caine. But I have to vouch against some of the reviews written for this film.

Its typical how some have praised this film with anger and vitriol, venting furious rage at the 'declining state of our society' and the 'ever growing youth crime' in this country. Well maybe that's what the film wanted, to want people to feel angry. The papers of course are spilling stories of rampant violent youth crime day after day. Even to the point where the Sun labelled England "worse than New York in the 80's". Only in the Sun eh? Wrong, you can thank the Daily Mail, The Mirror, News of the World and any other cheap tabloid to make us all believe in the sensationalistic viewpoint that with live in a country overrun with murderous chavs. Well I don't. And I bet other reviewers are just repeating what they see when they turn on Sky news each morning.

There is crime always present, I am not naive. Violent crime has been around in Britain for decades stretching way back, gangs have always been around, apathetic youth have always been around, it just comes with a different face and attitude with each decade that passes that's all. The way I see it, violent youths aren't getting worse, the papers are being more dramatic with it. Treating its viewers and readers like saps and unable to report the stories without trying to tapping into either our greatest fears or our moral outrage, or worse, inflaming it. With so many people watching Harry Brown and other vigilante films alike, I'm finding it hard to see a positive review without someone going off about how they believe that this film truly represents the Britain of today as a whole or how they got off watching the evil hoodies get their comeuppance or ranting how the police are utterly useless. There are so much complications regarding the incessant bureaucracy within the police force and the courts, and so many complications regarding disillusioned youths, their families and upbringings and surroundings to turn them into the feral thugs they are.... but hey, why bother trying to think why its like this when we can watch a film that simply encourages and directs our hate on them by watching a lonely, desperate old pensioner pump bullets in these kids? You might think I'm going off into a futile rant while thinking "its just a film, made for entertainment and nothing else". Well, it didn't entertain me as so much as leave a sour taste on my mouth by the time I left the cinema by showing some of the nastiest character ever seen on screen. Screenwriter Gary Young has really pulled off making these lowlife scum about as contemptible as you can get. Each scene is colour drained and murky enough to give that real sense of bleak hopelessness to flood over the audience. It doesn't so much give a sense of gritty realism as so much as realism perceived by Prozac addicts. And as for the whole "just a film" aspect, Harry Brown tries to be social commentary and is none too subtle about it either, making several negative characterisations at the police with their ambivalent behaviour and blatant incompetence towards each situation portrayed in the film - Emily Mortimer gives a truly flat, wet performance and Charles Creed Miles gives his copper such a common, vacant-minded role that even cynics of the law would be hardly convinced they're playing accurate police officers.

The plot structure of Harry Brown isn't original either. It really is a case of been-there-done-that that was seen in Death Wish and The Brave One. You know, it starts with the innocent, quiet civilian who's friend/loved one is savagely murdered, mourns their loss, purchases a weapon for self defence, has their first kill an accidental act of said self-defence, feels sickened/shocked by what they've done but discover they have an act for that sort of violence and continue to hunt and murder thugs each night. You'd think that 35 years after Death Wish came out these filmmakers might have wanted to think of something a little more original? Although Harry Brown is different in that light which Harry's mission is to personally hunt down the thugs who killed his friend for revenge, the conclusion is inevitable, if not also unbelievable. By throwing in a seemingly random, plot twist involving the relationship of the head thug Noel (Ben Drew) but also climaxing the film in an enormous riot where the police face off against what seems over a hundred psychotic hoodies (in ONE small council estate) the film by then is now just going way over the top in trying to convince us that we are in a living hell. It also ends with a voice-over narrative of how the actions that happened in this film led to a decrease in violent crime overall in the town as the camera follows Harry Brown down in the underpass. Now it may not glorify violence in general due to the ugly way its portrayed here, but it does however, not only glorify vigilantism and violent retribution but also tries to justify it too. It is just completely morally bankrupt.

But hey, at least its not as head-smackingly awful as the 2007 film Outlaw, which is at least some small relief.

One day hopefully we'll see a vigilante/revenge based film that accurately portrays the REAL society we live in without the extreme perceptions created by sensationalist media (or better yet, make an example of them and their clear influence on people across the nation) and actually nail down the roots of why some of the youths of today are vicious and heartless in the first place. Rather than resorting to our inner fascist fantasies of just wanting to see them die.

Solid film that needed more in the way of intelligence and comment in the script

[bob the moo · 30 December 2010]

I was at a recent Chase & Status gig, feeling old and a bit out of place when they did a track featuring Plan B which had the video projected onto the back of the stage. The video included clips from Harry Brown and it reminded me this film existed since it has slipped away in my mind. So, back in my mind, I decided to watch it despite only having heard so-so things about it. The end result of this was for me to have those so-so things confirmed because it is a film that kind-of does a job in terms of being a solid watch but at the same time doesn't really perform any other function or have anything specific to make it particularly worth seeing.

The plot in a nutshell is that a pensioner seeks revenge on the drug gangs running his estate when they kill a friend of his. So essentially we are in Death Wish territory although I was curious to see if the film celebrated vigilante violence, whether it condemned it or whether it used the thriller plot to make comments on the state of modern Britain and such forgotten estates. Strangely it doesn't really do any of these and mostly it just plays as a straight thriller. As such it is perfectly watchable with excessive violence, some tense scenes and a generally well created world of a police no-go area. It is not brilliant by any means but it is fine for what it is. It does all get overblown towards the end and I found it a little too over the top to take seriously, but it is what it is.

The lack of anything else going on was a problem for me though. It wasn't that I needed it to take a stand on anything, I just wanted it to be a bit smarter and more interesting than it was. The film doesn't have much to say about anything though; not about society, not about crime, not about policing and not about justice. Of course the film doesn't owe me anything like that nor does it have to have any comment when it is content to just be a drama – it just needed to be a better, more engaging drama to make up for it.

Caine is the main appeal and he does hold the screen in this role. His performance is good and it did make me wish the material had given him more to work with in terms of substance. He is a great presence but he is lost in the overblown final third and really deserved a tighter focus on his character. Mortimer has little to do other than be the face of the powerless police while the majority of the cast turn in rather easy "gangster youth" performances although the main ones do have a bit more about them than that. Plan B has done this sort of thing before and he is OK but his character is too simple – compared to the content of his first album it is far too one dimensional but he is solid enough doing it.

Overall Harry Brown is a decent enough film as a basic drama/thriller. It is enjoyably mean even if it does just what you expect this sort of story to do. I would have liked at least something in the way of comment or intelligence in the material though, but if it is there it doesn't come through. Not only would this have made the film better but it would have been good for the cast as well. Solid, but no more than that.

You're not likely to forget this movie

[nkaronis1 · 7/10 · 23 May 2010]

I've been watching movies for the last 40 years but I've never seen and felt anything like this. Simple story you might think: Michael Caine as an old vigilante avenging his best pal. Sort of Get Carter of 2009. But as much as I liked that movie, this one is a much more memorable experience.

The movie takes you by the guts from the first minute, long before any violence erupts. You just feel viscerally the despair. It works because everything is so real; the images shock with the simple ugliness of Britain's suburbs, the music magnificently enhances the mood created by Barber and sir Michael is at the summit of his art.

Just watching Michael Caine's face is something you cannot describe. Sir Michael continues the line of fantastic British actors who have continued to up their game well into old age (Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton come to mind). He still has the ambition to make a difference and his work is not just an example for aspiring actors but I believe for all of us.

Now, some might say that the morality of the movie is that only the vigilantes might save us. Just watch the movie; the dinosaur vigilante, the moral conscience of the movie (Emily Mortimer excellent as usual) drowned by the overwhelming prevalence of mediocrity and you'll know. There is no simple message; just life, the mistakes we make and that we pass on to our future generations.

The Michael Caine Show

[Quinoa1984 · 9/10 · 21 May 2010]

Harry Brown is a pensioner, and former Marine, living in a very run-down apartment complex (or is it flat) in the urban quarter of London. It's a crappy place to be; kids ling their drugs and guns, and beat up those who happen to venture just a little far out into the path. One of those is Harry's friend, Leonard Atwell, who tries to defend himself against the scum on the streets and winds up stabbed with his own knife. Brown is distraught over this (already he's been all alone since his wife just died and a daughter died many years before, perhaps during childbirth or as a child), and knows the cops won't do much about it despite doing some investigations. So, Brown takes his skills as a former Marine, before facing off against the Northern Irish years before, and uses it to exact payback.

Immediately moviegoers will flash to Gran Torino, as a story of a lonely, grumpy old man mixing it up with gang-bangers in a part of town he should have moved out of. But it actually owes more to Taxi Driver in some part- an ex-Marine wiping "the scum off the streets"- and of course Charles Bronson in Death Wish. But as Michael Caine points out in interviews, there was a certain underlying joy Bronson had with his character of Paul Kersey in the Death Wish movies, even in the first one which was most gritty. This film, about the horror of gang violence and drugs and prostitution as an everyday occurrence, really hits the spot far better than the shots of gang-bangers in Eastwood's film. In fact, I would go as far as to say Harry Brown trumps Gran Torino in the department of being about "something" (Torino about racism, Brown about vigilantism).

And at the center of a film directed with an artful, patient eye by newcomer Daniel Barber, and written with wisdom and tough attitude when it needs to be by Gary Young, is Michael Caine's performance. He's so good in a film like this because we believe this is Harry Brown, or what he might be like, and we can see ourselves in a part of Brown due to Caine's sympathy (or even empathy) with the character. This is a man of reserve, but also resolve, and when he takes to the streets it's because it's really a last resort, a kind of fight for survival as well as revenge, and Caine doesn't hold back when Brown needs to shed some tears, or to have that fierceness in his eyes against these young punks. One such scene, which I'll not soon forget, is after he plugs a bullet into the gut of a junkie dumbass who tries to pull a gun on Brown as he's purchasing a few weapons, and tells a story about a fellow officer he was fighting alongside who had to die in the trenches because of a lack of medical care.

It's one of the best scenes I've ever seen with Caine in it, and overall the film provides him the opportunity for another piece of superb work. Less remarkable, though still decent, is Emily Mortimer, who provides some sensitivity but also is a little soft in a way for the character of a no-nonsense detective hot on the heels of the Atwell/young-punks case (in some scenes, frankly, I just didn't buy her as a detective). But this is so small a flaw that it's hard to judge the film against it. Harry Brown takes its subject matter by the throat, treats it cinematically with care, and when it's violent you get shaken up and when Brown is in the shadows one suddenly wonders why Caine didn't play Batman in Nolan's movies. A serious near-classic on street violence and revenge. 9.5/10

Where drugs rule, civilization ceases

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 8 November 2014]

This is a dark film about an underside of living in London. It brings together a variety of people who live in public housing projects called sink estates, and the underworld culture of drugs and crime. Apparently, London has problems with its "social" housing projects and high crime. Pictures on the Internet show the poor conditions of some of the projects. It reminds me of our American experiment with large public housing projects in the 1960s. I saw some of the burned, dilapidated and destroyed public housing projects in Washington, D.C. in the late 1960s. They were abandoned buildings less than five years old.

"Harry Brown" centers around a senior whose wife has just died, and a fellow senior. The two friends meet each day to play chess in a neighborhood pub. Both men live in "the estate" complex. We see Harry's apartment, and it looks quite nice. From the exterior, the large apartment building looks fine. But, below and around the complex teens lurk and hang out in gangs, occupying a pedestrian tunnel, doing and dealing drugs, and harassing and intimidating couples, women and children. These young criminals – those we see up close already have juvenile records and more – also live in the estate. We see that their apartments aren't as nice or well kept. Later in the film, we see Leonard's apartment when Harry goes to look over his things. It's been ransacked and burned.

Harry and Len go about their lives in old age and retirement not bothering anyone. But, both have fear of the gangs and hoodlums who have directly taunted and threatened Len. The story involves police efforts to clean up the area, and a young police woman who investigates the murder of Len.

I won't describe the plot further, but just observe that this film is fraught with emotions – from the characters in the film and from our viewing it. We are only human when we are moved with anger at the young thugs. We see their senseless disregard and disrespect for people. It's difficult not to want their civil rights stripped so that the police can round them up and jail them for years. It's apparent to any viewer that that would save lives – many of their own in time, and of countless other innocent victims and bystanders. Detective Inspector Alice Frampton is a check on the righteous indignation of Harry and others who would take the law into their own hands to rid the neighborhood of its scourge. Many of we viewers might be in that group as well. Yet, Frampton is conflicted later by what she sees and experiences.

This is a film to make us think about right and wrong, justice and injustice, security and gang rule and fear. And, the one obvious message that comes across clearly is that a culture of drugs destroys everything good and beautiful and innocent around it.

Michael Caine is excellent as Harry Brown. All the rest of the cast of this film are very good. One must be braced to endure constant vulgarity and crude behavior during much of this movie. In a drug culture such as this, man seems to revert to his most barbaric, primitive self. This isn't entertainment, by any stretch of the imagination. It is a type of film that all people should see from time to time. The vast majority of us living in the western world don't live in conditions or places like this. But, we should know that it exists, and how it must be for innocent people to live in fear most of the time – in free countries. Whether they intended it or not, the producers of this film have given a strong testimonial of support for the war on drugs.

brutal revenge gem

[trashgang · 8/10 · 21 February 2011]

Daniel Barber, so far I have never heard of this director which is normal, this is his first major flick. And what a great movie this is. it's a revenge flick but as real and brutal as it can get. It's funny that I as a horror geek was recommended Harry Brown. But I didn't regret it watching it and I must even say that I got goosebumps by some scene's. And people who know me do know that I can take the goriest pieces without a problem. But again, it is really the reality and the brutality that makes the movie and of course Sir Michael Caine. Admit it, he always has something macabre over him but he's now in his 70's (°1933)and still can deliver the creeps. His acting is surely an Oscar worthy. But also worth mentioning is Sean Harris. he really is believable, in fact all hoodies are believable and of course the language used and the dialect gives it also its reality. This is an all points an excellent movie. Not in Rambo or Arnie style with a lot of shooting but just a straight in your face flick, big thumbs up to the director, Sir Caine and the whole bunch involved.

Grim snapshot of a decaying society

[Ruskington · 7/10 · 23 April 2020]

For the most part I was pretty impressed with this movie. Unlike a lot of films of it's ilk, the bad guys are actually quite believable and the setting is sadly realistic. Michael Caine suits this particular role very well and carries the story through some rather slow-paced dour scenes.

Unfortunately there is one rather ridiculous scene that undermines the entire credibility of the story. Harry's encounter with the local drug dealer/arms dealer/rapist/pimp/crackhead is completely over the top and feels like something out of a Tarantino movie. I have no idea why this was even included as it adds virtually nothing to the overall story and takes the gloss off an otherwise excellent production.

Harry Brown is a good film

[mosquitobite · 8/10 · 13 February 2021]

Despite Emily Mortimer's ever vapid presence, in no way suited to be convincing as a cop. Michael Caine is masterful as always, film gives him an opportunity to show off his incredible range credibly, from fragile pathos and sorrow to hard unrelenting man in the field you do not want to cross. It's hard to take any satisfaction though in the hunting down and brutalising of miserable wretches at the bottom of the have not pile. Well directed scripted and edited. Love seeing Michael Caine always, he's so damned good nuance by nuance it's spooky.

Gutsy, bloody, socially relevant movie about justice from both sides

[secondtake · 7/10 · 6 July 2011]

Harry Brown (2009)

For those who appreciate that Clint Eastwood idea of taking the law into your own hands, here's a gritty, bloody, violent British version with Michael Caine, of all people, as a kind of Dirty Harry.

And it works. I'm sympathetic to this old guy seeing his world crumble around him. The movie plays with workable clichés, namely that Caine's title character comes from a more honorable generation, and that he was a decorated Marine. So when his best friend is killed by drug crazed thugs, he decides to get even.

There are no theatrical lines like, "Make my day," and in a way the movie is both a success for its brutality and is burdened by it, and by the realism that goes with it. Because "Harry Brown" attempts to be unrelentingly believable, even if it gets to be over the top, too. We are scared by this situation, and by the senselessness of it, and by the powerless police. We also know that the solution Harry Brown finds is short lived and limited.

But the movie isn't really about Harry Brown's success but about the failure of society to control the drugs and the violence that go with it. And to control the situations that lead to this kind of society--the projects, the poverty, the lack of good schools, and so on (whatever they are, I'm just spouting the usual).

But this is Michael Caine's movie (as with so many of his movies) and he really does, again, show a presence and a subtlety that are remarkable. You wouldn't maybe expect him to show the cold hearted violence he needs here, but it's tinged with justice and maybe even compassion (not for the jerks, but for the victims of the criminals). The one cop who is consistent in the official fight against the thugs is Emily Mortimer, a really good actress slightly miscast (she comes off more as a sociologist than a street cop turned detective). Still, she's a great balance to Caine.

The one clear flaw, especially in the middle third, is that it's just slow. For all the drugs shown in the movie, it might have helped if the editor had at least tried some caffeine, because it pokes along and thinks that the drama of the situation will command the scene and it doesn't, not always. This is director Daniel Barber's second movie, and maybe there is both the sense of wanting to make a mark with some energy and edginess, but also the sense of not quite having the chops to do it perfectly. Not yet. It verges on the sensational too many times to sustain itself.

Caine opens his legs and shows his class

[markgorman · 9/10 · 19 November 2009]

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.

Michael Caine shines in a film that is about more then revenge

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 28 December 2009]

Michael Caine plays the title character. A retired soldier who's wife has just died. His best friend asks for his help in dealing with some youths who have been tormenting him, but he refuses since it will open up doors inside him that are best left closed. When his friend is murdered Harry slowly moves toward the realization that someone has to make a stand, more so when the police confess they they will be unable to prosecute the people responsible.

Those expecting Death Wish look elsewhere. This is a film with decidedly ore on its mind then just a revenge tale. Granted there are explosions of violence but this is a film with decidedly more on its mind. The film not only meditates on revenge, but growing older, the place of our youth in society, notions of justice among other things. As I watched the film I was shocked at first since the film never took the road I thought it would. I like that the film didn't always do the easy thing. Michael Caine gives an excellent performance that is quietly among his best. Caine's brown is a steely character who keeps it all bottled in, but there are cracks in his armor and there are times when it all comes down. Its a masterpiece of understated performance.

An excellent film well worth seeing, especially if you want a thriller thats more then just about the action.

Barely Passable Revenge Flick

[jimbo-53-186511 · 5/10 · 7 May 2013]

I must admit I expected a lot more from this film. A revenge film with Michael Caine, I thought 'great' a modern day 'Get Carter'. Sadly, this film comes nowhere near to being as good as the aforementioned film. Michael Caine was excellent and really put his heart and soul into getting into the character of Harry Brown. Unfortunately, Mr Caine was the only person who put on a decent performance, but the acting was the least of the problems here.

Firstly, there is the friendship between Harry (Caine) and Len Attwell (David Bradley). This friendship wasn't developed anywhere near as much as it should have been. There were maybe 2 scenes where they were together and in one of the scenes Len is talking to Harry about the gangs that are harassing him and he mentions to Harry that he wants to kill them and asks Harry to help.Harry refuses and tells Len to go to the police, but Len refuses as he says the police won't help him and that he needs to deal with the gang himself. Then in the next scene Ken is dead. In the scene prior to that, they are playing Chess and Harry is talking to Len about his wife Kath who had just died. The problem I had is that when Len died, I only felt sympathy in the way I would with someone I didn't know, whereas if Len's character was developed better we may have been able to feel more sympathy towards both him and Harry (if we got to know more about Len, we might have cared more for his character - I just didn't feel much of an emotional connection to Len I'm afraid). We also never learn why the gangs seemed to be targeting him? What were their reasons? Had Len upset them? I realise that sometimes yobs just strike for no reason, but it seems unlikely that they would go to such extremes as 'Fire bombing' his house for no reason.

The next major problem was the gangs and police investigations - pretty much straight after Len dies, the police go straight to the ring leader's house Noel (Ben Drew) seemingly with no prior investigation. Again, they may have already knew he was the ring leader, but perhaps they could have shown the police investigating (door to door enquiries, questioning other gang members prior to arresting Noel). This all just seemed rather rushed to me and I just felt that a gradual build up to discovering the ring leader would have held my interest more. All the scenes involving all the suspects that were questioned in the police station were a waste of time as it seemed like all the suspects that were brought in were released (and a couple of the gang were not seen again).

The incompetence of the police is pretty laughable as well - throughout most of the film Harry Brown goes on a 'one man' killing spree with very little investigation from the police. 2 of the 3 police officers investigating refuse to believe that Harry Brown has anything to do with the killings - even though he has a motive, has various weapons in his house (which the police are aware of) and he is no stranger to killing and seeing others get killed.

There were a few good moments - Michael Caine's performance was fantastic and we get treated to the odd classic one liner here and there such as 'You've failed to service your weapon properly' when a drug dealer tries to shoot him, but can't fire and then Harry shoots him. It's not quite as iconic as 'You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off' but it was a highlight in an otherwise average film.

To sum up, Harry Brown felt a bit rushed and would certainly have benefited from a bit more character development. I would only recommend watching Harry Brown if there is nothing else on. If you want to watch a good revenge film watch 'Death Sentence' which is far superior.