Harry Brown
Year: 2010
Directors: Sebastian Gutierrez
Stars: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, David Bradley
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Marv Films
Running Time: 103 minutes
The theme of revenge is always one that resonates well with movie goers. It’s a bit of fantasy for all of us who have been wronged and who have dreamed of getting revenge in the worst way. Films like Oldboy, Kill Bill, and Taken have done well in recent years, but the theme is not a new one. Death Wish, The Last House On The Left, and Mad Max spoke to audiences in the previous generation. Bridging the gap between the two generations are films like Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino and the new revenge film, Michael Caine’s Harry Brown.
The beginning of every good revenge story should show how our jaded hero (or heroine) has been wronged. Harry Brown is a lonely man who lives alone in The Estate, an apartment community overrun by a vicious gang of drug dealers. He has just lost his wife and soon after, his only friend in the world, Leonard (David Bradley, “Argus Filch” in the Harry Potter films) is brutally murdered by the gang. To make matters worse, Harry learns of the death of his friend when two police officers come to his house to question him about the whereabouts of his friend the day of his death.
While his wife was alive, Harry had made a promise to himself not to discuss any of the horrific things he had witnessed and done while serving as a Marine, but now that she has passed away, Harry uses those skills to get back at the thugs who are destroying the community around him.
As with most revenge movies, the thrill of watching the movie doesn’t come from brilliant writing or unexpected plot twists. Harry Brown is rather by the book in this regard. The thrill comes instead from the satisfaction of vigilante justice. It’s something hard-wired in all of us to want to see the bad guys get what we feel they deserve, especially when the police force can’t prosecute due to lack of evidence.
Harry Brown is definitely a “hard R”, with plenty of bloody violence and foul language. Several scenes will make you cringe, especially a scene of violence against an unsuspecting mother. But still, just like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino and Liam Neeson in Taken, there’s just something satisfying about watching an older man take action into his own hands. Vigilante justice is something that can only be done onscreen, escapism at its finest.
Review Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars
Excellent review.
I can't wait to see this one.