Harry Brown is scared. The estate where he lives is run by the out of control kids who live there. They deal drugs, are armed, and are prone to committing random acts of violence. Harry is so intimidated, when his wife takes a turn for the worse, he still takes the long way around the main road, because he doesn’t want to go down into the subway. His friend Len is also frightened, and is sick of it. He’s armed himself with an old bayonet, and is threatening to use it. Harry gets the news the next day. He has now lost everything, and despairs for the world around him.
Harry Brown is angry. The kids are getting away with murder, and the police are seemingly powerless to stop them. A chance encounter on the tow path pushes Harry to the edge. Is this what his life has come to? Harry decides to buy a gun. Is it for self defence? Or revenge? With nothing left to lose, what’s to stop ex-marine Harry from dispensing a bit of justice himself?
The early word on Harry Brown was that ‘it’s a bit like Gran Torino’. Be under no mis-conceptions, this isn’t your Hollywood fairy tale, a story of a man who learns to overcome his prejudice and love thy neighbour. This is drama. Dark, bleak, uncompromising. Filmed on a low budget, partly financed by the lottery comission, and directed by British first time director Daniel Barber, Harry Brown is a gritty exploration of the youth in revolt you might find in any working class estate, in any town in Britain.
Drugs, violence, sexual abuse, this film is at times difficult to watch. Difficult because of the nature of the violence yes, but more so because it’s all so… real.
We’d like to hide our heads in the sand, and pretend this is an extreme view of the world, and isn’t really happening. But it is. It’s happening every day, 
Director Daniel Barber also takes a real poke at the ineptitude of the police force too. Caught up with ideas of crime fighting initiatives with names like Project Lion, their ineffectiveness at grass roots level is hopelessly exposed. Never more so than in the run up to the climax, when the police attempt a handful of arrests, but arriving short-handed trigger a terrifying riot in the estate.
Michael Caine doesn’t need to work anymore. He’s worked in the business 
However, as a movie, Harry Brown is deeply flawed. There is a real pacing
The other major problem is that whilst Harry is a well rounded character, his youthful nemeses are unforgivably two dimensional. There are a couple of scenes explaining away their motivations as being a product of the abuse sustained from their paternal figures, but we see very little of their interactions with each other, no development of their personal relationships. One line in the film gives it away. Harry tells DI Frampton that at least in Northern Ireland he was fighting for something, and that these kids are just doing it for entertainment. That’s the view being expressed here, that the antagonists are just animals.
Ironically, these two major issues could have been rectified at the same time. If the story of these kids had been explored more deeply, those scenes could have been intercut with Harry’s journey, providing a more balanced account and solving the pacing problems.
Caine won’t have been paid much, and it’s obvious he took this role on because of his belief in the message the film maker is trying to put across. Before the screening, Sir Michael explained that it was a film about violence, but not a violent film. He went on to say that it was not meant to glamorize violence.
Harry Brown nearly lives up to this, until the final scene. I don’t want to give too much away, just to say that when someone is shown to have made their own life better by violence that they have perpetrated, for me that is a true glamorization of violence. Barber has tried to make both a film with an important message, and an entertaining movie. Unfortunately, he has not succeeded on either count. He has shown enough here however to suggest he can become a very good director. The problems with this film are down to inexperience and a bad script, both of which can be overcome. Harry Brown is worth watching, if only to remind you how lucky you are.
Harry Brown opens in cinemas in the UK this Wednesday 11th November. No word on a US release yet. Hey, we got Harry Brown, you got Boondock Saints 2.
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Sounds like it could well be worth a watch to me anyway, you can't argue with a good British film.
[…] contributed to the rise of fascism, is certainly interesting. Another film that opens this week, Harry Brown, also deals with youth in revolt, again pointing the finger at those responsible for the children. […]
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Nonsense, this film is great, and real, caine is a legend
I think Harry browns underlying moral is of justice….Just like Gran Torino
I is a very violent film…but none the less definately brilliant because of the sense of revenge..Caine is brilliant and should win an acadamy award
great storyline great acting by caine great film leaves you with plenty to think about.
I've seen a few reviews for Harry Brown that label it's 'Scallies are animals' over-simplification as a flaw. It isn't. Scallies ARE animals.
The things that happen in this film aren't exagerrated. I wonder where some of these reviewers live, because they seem to be under the impression that films like Harry Brown are making this stuff up. They aren't.
A friend of mine was travelling home from work on the bus a few weeks ago when his bus was shot at, twice, by scallies, for no reason whatsoever. I've had a scally try to pick a fistfight with me in the checkout at Asda for no reason whatsoever.
If you ask me, Harry Brown is one of the bravest films I've seen in ages, for daring to tell the awful, awful truth that these people are, plain and simple, animals. (Forget about trying to 'explain away their motivations' – they have none. To scumbags like these, it's all entertainment, fuelled by a desire to turn their own pokey council estate into Baltimore, or Compton, or the Bronx). And for daring to say that sometimes, just sometimes, an eye-for-an-eye CAN lead to a better life.
That's why it's made so many middle-class reviewers so uncomfortable, and rightly so…
Barry you seem to know exactly how to fix everything thats wrong with this film. Why is it then that you are writing reviews and not directing your own succesful movies? Oh thats right because your full of the brown stuff. Excellent film. The scene with the junkies disturbed me more than anything ive ever seen in a movie and thats saying something. I think that that was also kind of the point
Ste1bro, do you really believe the violent youth of today is just a generation born with the instincts to wreak havoc? The reason you want to believe this, is the same reason you pigeonhole people who intimidate you as scallys, and tag me as 'middleclass', presumably because i have access to a computer and a broadband connection. By reducing these things to a label it allows you comfort. You want to believe they are all mindless thugs because it helps you sleep at night. There are factors that affect all behaviour, and in fact by saying they are trying to emulate areas like The Bronx and Compton you ARE attributing their behaviour to external influences, in this case, the media. How else would they know what happens in these places? If that is what influences their behaviour, then the film should have addressed it. As for me believing they 'made this stuff up', did you actually read the review? 'We’d like to hide our heads in the sand, and pretend this is an extreme view of the world, and isn’t really happening. But it is. It’s happening every day, somewhere in your town.' My words. I'm under no illusions. But you need to accept the world is more complicated than you'd like it to be.
GoolabJAMAN, you don't think i should have criticized the film? It's perfect then is it? We should expect a clean sweep at the Oscars? Your assertion that as i am not a filmmaker, i should not criticize the film is perfectly valid. You are not a filmmaker either, so you shouldn't even be watching it, you can't appreciate it either. In fact, all films should only be viewed by other filmmakers, as they are clearly the only ones who can appreciate the art, right? I can promise you Daniel Barber didn't wrap, then think 'that's it, perfect film, don't need to bother next time'. He will be perfectly aware that as his first feature, Harry Brown isn't perfect, and i'm sure he'll take ALL criticism on board for consideration in his next project, whatever it may be. Or do you really believe we should regard all films as brilliant simply because we haven't made a better one ourselves?
I never said he did. But maybe it should be left up to film makers to critsize each others work. Your beleif that you know how to make this film better is similar to those guys down the pub who know exactly how to lead their team to world cup victory. In other words you cant do it yourself so you content yourself with poking holes in others work. Which i would wager is far superior to anything the incredible baz man could come up with short of some stern words and that wit you have clearly shown with your para phrasing. I find it rather funny that your so quick to give out your opinion but unwilling to accept others. I liked the film. I loved the junkie scene. You didnt. I disagree. Therefore i must think the film is perfect ? No i just think its a great film.
Good point, well made GoolabJAMAN – i'm going to watch Harry Brown very soon and reading BazMann's review almost put me off bothering until i read what yourself and loads of other people are saying.
The vast majority are saying that Harry Brown is, like you said, a great film.
[…] reviewed the film on release and you can read his take on Harry Brown here and I’m going to give my verdict here on the DVD […]