DVD Gem #2 - Harry Brown

This is the second in my series of "DVD Gems" which is designed to uncover older movies you might have missed or new ones that might not have much of a profile but are worth a watch.

I actually watched this movie on DVD around Christmas time and meant to review it then but ran out of time.  But three months on and it's really stayed with me and forced its way out, because it was so powerful.  Don't watch if you're about to move to England though!

Harry Brown is also the name of the main character, played by Michael Caine.  He is an older fellow (I think his age is given in the movie but I've forgotten, he's well over 70 though) living a quiet life on the pension, visiting his sick wife in hospital and occasionally meeting with his only friend, Len for a beer or game of chess.  Harry lives in one of those housing estates you often see in gritty British dramas: drab grey or brown buildings of small apartments populated by losers, crims and kids with no future.  Every day he takes the long way to his various destinations to avoid the young thugs who hang out in the tunnel under the road having 'fun' by harrassing passersby.  You can tell Harry isn't happy about the situation but he keeps his head down and doesn't want to make trouble.  Until one day, something happens to poor old Len.  Sick of the police not doing anything about the thugs and their pranks, he decides to take matters into his own hands but ends up on the wrong end of the stick. Two police offers become involved in Len's case but it quickly becomes clear that justice is not going to be done and Harry finds himself unexpectedly fighting back.

The things that make this movie stand out are the grimly realistic setting (seeming particularly so since the riots last year) and just the sheer power of such an old, feeble man finding a way to teach these young crims a lesson and see that justice is actually served.  Michael Caine is fantastic as Harry, portraying a steely determination crossed with the frustration of a failing body and shaky hands.  The revelation of Harry's former career definitely helps with believability though.  I don't think it would have worked anywhere near as well without this former tough guy in the role. 

The violence in the movie is fairly confronting, especially a scene at a drug dealer's compound and a riot.  Quite a few times during the film I found myself saying "how scary" and I think this is all due to the commitment of the filmmakers to realism.  I really could see such things happening in England and that is a very scary thought.  Just the other day I read a report that senior police figures are calling for an action plan to clean up a few areas that are almost becoming "no-go zones" for police and law-abiding citizens, which just lends more credibility to this movie which should stand the test of time.  Let's hope that things improve over there and they can look back at this time capsule and say "how appalling" but for now, it's a strong eye opener of a gritty revenge thriller.  Do yourself a favour and check this movie out.