Harry Brown

Director: Daniel Barber

Cast: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Liam Cunningham

Year: 2009

Genre: Thriller

Rating:

Cinema-Reader – 8.0
IMDB – 7.9
FilmAffinity – 6.9


Cinema-Reader Synopsis:

Harry Brown (Michael Caine) is a retired ex serviceman of the Royal Marine and recently widower living peacefully within one of the most dangerous and lawless hoods in England, ruled by gangs of youths and drug dealers.

However, this peace will be stopped when his all time friend is brutally murdered by one of these gangs.

As police enforcement lead by stubborn Detective Frampton (Emily Mortimer) is unable to prosecute the killers, Harry decides to take law on his own hands turning a merciless vigilante taking revenge for his friend death.

Cinema-Reader Review:

On his second ever movie, Daniel Barber brings a brutal view of the increasingly problem suffered by some inner cities in England where drugs and gun related crime are a daily basis routine. An approach close to a mix between Scorsese (at his very beginning) and some details "made in" Guy Ritchie (i.e. the first frame of the movie).

The film has caused a huge controversial on the always narrow-minded and two-faced British society, due to the explicit violent scene that contains. However, this dismay has been justified by the filmmaker saying this movie had to be made. And I totally agree.

Beyond the fact that has violent frames indeed, the film dives deeply in a suburban world in which violence and smuggling are the only ways to keep you alive, avoiding any kind of clichés always used when showing street gangs.

And violence is the only way to show violence.

Having said that, I must confess Michael Caine (never imagine this kind of role could suit on him that much) plays a stunning role, making this film really interesting.