Film Review: Harry Brown (18) (From The Northern Echo)

Film Review: Harry Brown (18)

10:56am Thursday 12th November 2009

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Stars: Michael Caine, Ben Drew, Emily Mortimer, Charlie Creed- Miles, Liam Cunningham, David Bradley
Running time: 103 mins
Rating: ★★

A DIRECTOR’S statement from Daniel Barber begins, “Harry Brown tells a story that needs to be told”. He proceeds to say he hopes the film is thoughtprovoking, and ends by talking of “a collective responsibility that calls us to act before a whole generation is lost”.

And there was I thinking it was just a version of Charles Bronson in Death Wish or, more recently, grumpy old man Clint Eastwood dealing with the local thugs in Gran Torino.

Caine is a former marine, now an elderly widower living alone on one of those London estates overrun by gangs of hoodies, dealing drugs and waving knives and guns about.

Most locals are too scared to go out, but the turning point for Harry comes when his best friend (David Bradley), having been subjected to a terror campaign, is brutally stabbed to death by the gang led by the unrelentingly nasty Noel Winters (Ben Drew). Harry – well, Dirty Harry more like it – sets out, using his marine training, to teach these youngsters a thing or two. Much bloodshed ensues.

The police are portrayed as either corrupt or stupid, more interested in image than cleaning up the streets. While Emily Mortimer’s DCI has a conscience, her boss (Iain Glen) cares only about what appears in the press. It’s left to Caine to deliver one of his better performances as the old man with a grudge to carry the film, which he does with assurance.

Just a pity it’s not a better movie he’s doing it in.

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