Harry Brown (2009)

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

Director:

Daniel Barber

Writer:

Gary Young (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, David Bradley

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Harry Brown
Emily Mortimer	...	D.I. Alice Frampton
Charlie Creed-Miles	...	D.S. Terry Hicock (as Charlie Creed Miles)
David Bradley	...	Leonard Attwell
Iain Glen	...	S.I. Childs
Sean Harris	...	Stretch
Plan B	...	Noel Winters (as Ben Drew)
Jack O'Connell	...	Marky
Jamie Downey	...	Carl
Lee Oakes	...	Dean Saunders
Joseph Gilgun	...	Kenny
Liam Cunningham	...	Sid Rourke
Marva Alexander	...	Nurse #1
Liz Daniels	...	Kath Brown
Marvin Campbell	...	Stunt Neighbour (as Marvin Stewart-Campbell)

Storyline

In England, retired Royal 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 the local gang is harassing him and he is carrying an old bayonet for self-defence. Harry suggests he to go to the police. When Len is beaten, and stabbed to deatry detective 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-defence. Harry Brown sees that justice will not be granted and decides to take matters into his own hands.

---

Plot Keywords:

self defense | vigilantism | fellatio | vigilante | hooded sweatshirt | 

---

Taglines:

Every man has a breaking point.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, drug use and sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Michael Caine saw a lot of himself in the character of Harry Brown, they're both combat veterans (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 this movie.

---

Goofs

Kenneth (Joe Gilgun) claims the SIG P226R pistol is made from polymer reinforced with fiberglass. This is incorrect as the P226R has a steel frame. However, the Glock 17 he offers for sale does have a polymer frame.

---

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.

---

Connections

References Lethal Weapon (1987)

---

Soundtracks

I Love London (Delta Heavy Remix)
Performed by Crystal Fighters
Written by Gilbert Vierich, Sebastian Pringle, Graham Dickson
Produced by Crystal Fighters
Remixed by Delta Heavy
Published by Copyright Control
(p) 2009 Crystal Fighters exclusively licensed to Kitsune

User Reviews

Gritty and Riveting.

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Samuel Goldwyn Films [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Harry Brown

Filming Locations:

A12 in Marks Gate, Essex, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$7,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$173,353, 2 May 2010

Gross USA:

$1,818,681

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,371,451

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marv Films, UK Film Council, HanWay Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1