The plot to
Harry Brown is simple: a retired widower and former British Royal Marine spends his twilight days playing chess with his friend Leonard. The two have seen their town fall into the lawless and debauchery of drugs and violence. When a gang of drug dealers, led by a little bastard named Noel, kill his friend, Harry decides to kick some ass and pop some caps. A savvy police detective named Alice and her partner Terry begin to suspect that Brown is behind the vigilante style justice after the corpses hit the floor.
As an American, I can say this is a quiet masterpiece on this side of the pond. But I sure hope that in the UK and Europe it has been recognized as great.
The acting in this movie was one of the most impressive I've seen, not only by the legendary
Sir Michael Caine, but also by the rest of the supporting cast. I'm sure most Americans know Michael Caine and some might recognize
Emily Mortimer from Shutter Island and Lars and the Real Girl. But you have to watch this movie, or "film" as the Brits say.
Like I said, the performances are incredible, especially from
Sean Harris, who plays Stretch, albeit a somewhat minor character. He nails it playing the itchy, gritty, druggie so well I felt like my stomach lurch and churn watching him.
Ben Drew, a musician/rapper also familiar to the Brits, in my opinion plays a fantastic part as Noel, the gang leader.
I also loved the ambiance of this movie, very dark and gray, capturing the haze and lawlessness of a world whose veins pump drugs, not blood. Though, I could see how some may think it's too much or too overwhelming, given the murders and abusive pr0n playing in the background of a drug den (I didn't love that part).
Alas, this gem only received a 68% on RottenTomatoes. And there's no doubt that the cynics will label this as a English or European "Gran Turino," because another old man takes justice into his own hands. After glancing through some of the reviews on RT, I believe that
Brown attained such mixed reviews because of the explicit violence and the slightly unoriginal, vigilante-esque storyline. Regardless, I will still stand by the performances by the actors even if the story is a little meh. Just watch it. It's under two hours in length and loaded with thespian greatness.
Do you have a favorite British movie?
Recommend
Comments (6)
Go and watch it!
I liked it as well, but I love Michael Caine so I am a bit biased. I did get the Gran Torino vibe from the movie but all the same it was still enjoyable. I do feel that to appreciate this movie fully you should watch it without distractions because the quiet, gloomy atmosphere of the movie may lead to missing crucial scenes otherwise.
@Darla@lovelyish - yea i agree, no distractions otherwise you'll miss the subtle details
i loved it. and maybe it is because i've always liked michael caine so much. but it was still a good movie. kept me on edge and i wanted to help him out a few times myself. bahaha.
GREAT film... and mancouch, do something about these spammers man!
I reckon one of the reasons this film was rated highly here is that although it was set in south London, there was almost no landmarks or references to it being in the capital and the settings could have doubled for just about any grim council estate in the UK. Which is a reason why most people who watched it could relate to the problems with gangs, drugs and crime.
That said, I only watched Gran Torino recently and that film is MEGA!