Harry Brown

Director: Daniel Barber

Starring: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Ben Drew, Liam Cunningham, David Bradley

The latest in a series of English-made films about “hoodie horror” (such as Eden Lake), Harry Brown is a film that certainly goes to prove that when it comes to depressing audiences, no one does it quite like the Brits. Indeed, earlier this year, another British movie, Looking for Eric, supposedly an uplifting comedy, was more like a gritty kitchen sink drama about gun crime with a few reels spliced in from a comedy. Harry Brown has been described in the press as either “the British Gran Torino” or “Death Wish with a bus pass”, and I can say that the film is definetly closer to the latter than the former.

Michael Caine plays the titular character, whose housing estate is becoming overrun by violent hooligans, who terrorize anyone who stands in their way. When Harry's only friend Leonard (David Bradley), a long-suffering target of the abuse, decides he can't take any more, he takes arms himself with a military bayonet to confront them. He is found murdered. With his wife's recent death and with completely nothing to live for, Harry decides to take a stand and puts his old ex-marines training against the hoodies – and perhaps set things right.

The film is unrelentingly, unyieldingly grim. If there is a more depressing film this year, I wouldn't want to see it. The film has very little restraint with its content and is often extremely explict. I think this is at considerable odds with the advertising for the movie, which suggests something akin to the original Get Carter, proclaiming “Caine as the king of cool”. There is certainly not anything cool about Harry's, or indeed anyone else's, violence in this movie. I suppose 'two hours of solid misery' is a much harder sell. The film is shot in the most graffiti-filled places you can imagine, with a dull, grey tone through much of the running time.

If there's one thing that makes this movie stand out, its Caine. Caine delivers a superb performance in the title role and is incredibly convincing. He portrays the role with a genuine sadness behind the eyes, but is un-afraid to be ruthless when the time calls for it. It is a performance that I think will be overlooked because I doubt the film has much appeal outside the UK, but it deserves to be honoured. It is easily one of Caine's best ever performances and should come as a wake-up call to those who only think of him as “Batman's butler”.

Besides Caine, however, it is sadly lackluster. Emily Mortimer plays a sympathetic police officer who is convinced that Harry is tied to the escalating bodycount. However, the role is underdeveloped and it never really goes anywhere. The rest of the cast are perfectly servicable without being outstanding. Whilst this certainly gives prominence to Caine's performance, the movie outside of him is not that great.

My main problem with the movie is that it deals with the issues like a tabloid newspaper. Comparisons to Gran Torino are incorrect (and makes those who say it sound like they haven't actually watched it). Torino was about reform and possibility of change. None of the hoodies in this movie are redeemable, and the one that looks like he may be (who is sexually abused by his stepfather – which we charmingly get to see on-screen) is quickly disposed of. The kids in this movie are flat-out evil. The movie seems to approve of Harry going around and shooting people because its morally-justified. Its too black-and-white a look at the issue. To make matters worse, the movie seems to accentuate the amount of seediness in both an attempt to be 'gritty' and to make Harry seem correct in killing people. For example, one character is an obvious drug addict who sells guns, but those traits isn't enough. No, he has to have cannabis plants and have his TV playing footage of him apparently raping sedated women. And he has a sedated woman on the couch, slowly dying. Its borderline over-the-top and makes the film feel exploitive.

The other problem is with violence, particularly with special effects. The film is obviously a low-budget production and that rears its ugly head several times with the addition of obviously CG blood splatters in numerous scenes. Not only does it make things even more over-the-top (the splatters are normally enormous), but it also takes away from the gritty realism that they were striving for. If they wanted their movie to be gritty and violent, why not just use real blood and squibs? It would have given the movie an even harder edge (if that's even possible).

Harry Brown is a movie I can't imagine many people enjoying. It is certainly not for the squeamish and those with a sensitive disposition are advised to stay well clear (I likely would have walked out had I not seen it at a free screening). It attempts to tackle current modern issues, but it reads like a tabloid version of events, with little moral ambiguity and a seeming support for vigilantism. Michael Caine's performance is absolutely superb, and deserves praise of the highest order, but there is very little elsewhere to entertain or provoke.