SXSW: Geekscape Reviews Harry Brown
Oh great, yet another film where a mild mannered person is driven to go on a killing spree when a loved one is brutally murdered by over the top evil thugs. The revenge genre is fighting slasher flicks and romantic comedies as the single most clichéd genre in existence. So, why do we keep coming back for more? Well, because it’s kind of badass.
Harry Brown makes no effort whatsoever to break away from the revenge flick mold. The difference here is that this stars the great Michael Caine. Caine has been on quite a roll as of late, with his work with Christopher Nolan as well as great parts in movies like Children of Men. Everyone knows that Caine is a bad ass but here you see that really brought to the forefront. He usually commands with his eyes and quiet confidence. Here he commands with firearms and a nothing to lose attitude.
Caine, who is looking more and more like my late grandmother, plays the titular character. A man who is slowly losing everything of worth in his life. He is retired, his daughter is long dead, his wife is dying in a hospital, and his only friend is a half crazy curmudgeon who plays a daily game of chess with Brown at the local pub.
Brown is also constantly confronted with a crazed and violent youth culture. A group of kids who reek mayhem not for any kind of cause, but rather just for entertainment. There is certainly no country for this old man anymore. So when Brown’s one friend is brutally slain by a particularly violent group of kids, he decides to take action.
Seeing Caine in full revenge mode is pretty awesome, and the added tension brought on by his age and failing health really ramps up the suspense.
Emily Mortimer and Charlie Creed-Miles play detectives investigating the series of murders left in Caine’s wake, but we don’t really get to know them too much. This is really a one man show.
My one big complaint with the film, apart from it being completely conventional, is that the gang of kids that become Caine’s target are a bit over the top. This is fine for most revenge flicks but Harry Brown has a sense of realism that just doesn’t jive with this group of pure evil. The climax of the film also feels strange as an impromptu street riot takes place with no real explanation. All of the sudden it’s all riot gear and firebombs, but there is no build up whatsoever.
I’m also getting pretty sick of CG blood. It’s bad enough when you see it in big budget, hyper stylized flicks but when it starts showing up in the small, gritty movies you know something is wrong.
These quibbles aside though, this is an entertaining and visceral entry into the revenge genre that should satisfy genre and Caine fans alike. First time feature director Daniel Barber really impresses with his grimy visuals and effective set pieces. The opening sequence of the film is incredibly memorable. So much so that it kind of overshadows everything that follows. This is kind of a problem since it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the narrative of the movie and it is visually out of synch with the rest of the film. It seems to serve as just a way to set the tone, which it does wonderfully. It’s a handheld and frenetic bit of chaos that takes your breath away and lets you know what you’re in for.
If nothing else, Harry Brown shows that Alfred should be out patrolling the streets along with Batman. He clearly doesn’t have an issue with shooting a man just to watch him die.
