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Movie review: Harry Brown
May. 19th, 2010 10:17 amHarry Brown is a sweet old man. Of course he is, he's Michael Caine. He likes to play chess at the pub with his old friend and when his wife's at the hospital, he wakes up stroking the pillow she usually sleeps on.
Harry Brown was not always a sweet old man. He used to be a Royal Marine. He used to use a bayonet to kill people for a living. He's seen friends bleed out because they weren't as lucky as he was. For a long time, Harry Brown has not been that man.
Then we finish the first act...
I wouldn't want to spoil the plot, both because "Michael Caine goes on a roaring rampage of revenge" is all you need to know (for the record, they neither hit a foul ball or get a grand slam. It's a simple, unvarnished home run) and because you will know the plot unless you are a monk who has taken a vow of not watching movies for some years. Harry Brown will lose things he cares about. This will upset him. He doesn't deal with his negative emotions in a healthy way.
But it's all in the execution. And the execution of Harry Brown is staggeringly well done. Michael Caine, as always, is a charismatic lead, but the movie also sets up some real bastard villains. Before the credits even roll, you're ready for Alfred to burn down their jungle.
( Spoilers. If you want to see the movie first, I'll wait. )
I've seen some complaints about the 'fascism' of the movie (which I take it to mean that Harry Brown goes after punks instead of an evil ninja master who caused a city to fall into depravity because he thought it was getting too depraved... Batman Begins), but I don't credit them much. It's a revenge movie! Of course he's going to be going after punks and criminals. That's pretty much the genre. It's like being surprised to see headshots in a zombie movie.
No one ever complains that in the more liberal movies, there's always the part where some corporate fat cat says "Jack Manmuscle is getting too close to the truth. He'll have to be dealt with." and then his assistant guy does the little nod and picks up a phone and next thing you know, there's a black SUV full of guys in dark suits gunning for the hero until he manages to give them the slip with the help of a quirky day player. Does anyone ever ask how the corporate fat cat even knows where to find some assassins, especially on short notice? Is there a class at Harvard on procuring assassinations? Does it go around at cocktail parties? "I hired these guys two years ago to take care of a whistle-blower, they made it look like a suicide, here, I'll give you their number."
No, it's just how the genre works. If you don't like it, you should watch something else instead of expecting everything to cater to your political philosophy. I mean, what's next, a scene in Batman where the Joker tearfully asks that people understand he's only lashing out because of mental health issues beyond his control? Give me a break.
Harry Brown was not always a sweet old man. He used to be a Royal Marine. He used to use a bayonet to kill people for a living. He's seen friends bleed out because they weren't as lucky as he was. For a long time, Harry Brown has not been that man.
Then we finish the first act...
I wouldn't want to spoil the plot, both because "Michael Caine goes on a roaring rampage of revenge" is all you need to know (for the record, they neither hit a foul ball or get a grand slam. It's a simple, unvarnished home run) and because you will know the plot unless you are a monk who has taken a vow of not watching movies for some years. Harry Brown will lose things he cares about. This will upset him. He doesn't deal with his negative emotions in a healthy way.
But it's all in the execution. And the execution of Harry Brown is staggeringly well done. Michael Caine, as always, is a charismatic lead, but the movie also sets up some real bastard villains. Before the credits even roll, you're ready for Alfred to burn down their jungle.
( Spoilers. If you want to see the movie first, I'll wait. )
I've seen some complaints about the 'fascism' of the movie (which I take it to mean that Harry Brown goes after punks instead of an evil ninja master who caused a city to fall into depravity because he thought it was getting too depraved... Batman Begins), but I don't credit them much. It's a revenge movie! Of course he's going to be going after punks and criminals. That's pretty much the genre. It's like being surprised to see headshots in a zombie movie.
No one ever complains that in the more liberal movies, there's always the part where some corporate fat cat says "Jack Manmuscle is getting too close to the truth. He'll have to be dealt with." and then his assistant guy does the little nod and picks up a phone and next thing you know, there's a black SUV full of guys in dark suits gunning for the hero until he manages to give them the slip with the help of a quirky day player. Does anyone ever ask how the corporate fat cat even knows where to find some assassins, especially on short notice? Is there a class at Harvard on procuring assassinations? Does it go around at cocktail parties? "I hired these guys two years ago to take care of a whistle-blower, they made it look like a suicide, here, I'll give you their number."
No, it's just how the genre works. If you don't like it, you should watch something else instead of expecting everything to cater to your political philosophy. I mean, what's next, a scene in Batman where the Joker tearfully asks that people understand he's only lashing out because of mental health issues beyond his control? Give me a break.
