Review of Harry Brown (2009) by Andy D — 06 Jan 2013

I've heard many people describe this as 'The British Gran Torino', and I can see where they're coming from, but at the same time this is an entirely different type of movie. Gran Torino is a gritty, and at times even amusing take on an American war-veterans racist views on the ever-changing cultural landscape in the USA, whereas Harry Brown is a much more personal take on modern yob-culture in Britain - really quite topical, given the number of problems we currently have in this country with 'anti-social behaviour'. Centred around a yob-controlled housing estate, where the local residents are harassed and terrorised and live in constant fear, Harry Brown (Michael Caine) decides to take matters into his own hands when his best friend is murdered by the yobs, after deciding to stand up to the gang making his life a misery. The Police wouldn't take any action, so he decides he WILL.

The film is raw and nasty. The language and violence within the film is realistic and harsh, and I found I could hardly take my eyes off the screen, as Harry goes about slowly taking his revenge on the gang.

The performance from Michael Caine is what makes this film stand out, and the critics are not wrong when they say that this is 'one of the best British films of the year'. Definitely one to watch.