I am not calling this a “review” as I am not schooled in the do’s and don’ts of a properly formatted review; just some of my thoughts. <br> <br>
Everybody loves a good revenge flick right? Alright well maybe not everyone will admit they like them, but if the protagonist is properly sympathetic the naysayers will be sitting on the edge of their seats along with everyone else. You just can't help it; it is a part of our primal ingredients, it is really archetypal. I wonder what Joseph Campbell would have to say on this subject? <br>
I was pretty anxious for this BD to arrive from Netflix and was pleased that I really didn’t have to wait. I wouldn’t claim to be an aficionado of the genre but I do love it and have seen what are generally considered the milestones. I just recently re-watched "The Limey" so I guess this is just what I was looking for. I have also recently revisited "Get Carter" (1971), and "Payback" (1999) and the superior "Point Blank"(1967). Other possible comparisons that come to mind would be "Gran Torino" and the fairly brutal "The Horseman." At first glance “Harry Brown” would seem to be a fairly formulaic film but to my mind that isn't always a bad thing. I am wondering how the producers got around the comparison to "Death Wish 3" where Bronson finally gets fed up and takes on the neighborhood gang? The idea of plagiarism doesn't really factor into it as it is genre and it has all been done before and before that going back to Shakespeare and who ever he lifted it off from? <br>
Having seen "Harry Brown" (blu-ray) I can say that overall I liked this film and would most likely watch it again at some point, would I buy it? I am not so sure? That is really the acid test for me. When I finish a film and the credits are rolling if I am thinking about what I wish they had done in the movie but didn't it isn't the best sign. I suppose it isn't entirely fair to judge a film based on what you wanted it to be rather than what it is but then I am not getting paid for this so take it as it is. <br> <br>
***Possible Spoilers*** <br> <br>
The movie is a slow burn and that is fine, that is what is needed in a film like this. If Harry just went off the deep-end the first time something went wrong we wouldn't have the sympathy for his plight. I guess the problem that I had with the films approach was that we never really get to see into the gangs inner workings at all or get to know them much. We instead get scenes with Harry doing a bit of recon watching from a safe distance getting only his POV. These scenes are great, but what we don't get are the scenes that seem almost obligatory in a film like this, that is, scenes where the gang is feeling the effects of Harry's clandestine assaults and there is confusion in the ranks as they are picked off one by one. The filmmakers are wise enough not to make a Rambo out of the 77? Year old Caine, he has the frailties that a man of his age would have and the film is better for it. Yet still we want to see the old training kick in. We want to see Harry pit his patients and experience against this unruly mob. As it does take a while for Harry to get going I don't feel we quite get the satisfying pay off —the dish of cold revenge—that we have waited patiently for. The film would seem to take this course then decides on a different track. Rather than Harry taking charge and bringing the fight to the enemy he is rather weeding his way through chaos, reacting to circumstances rather than creating them. There is one scene about midway through however that is worth the price of admission alone. Harry enters a crack house-of-horrors to buy a gun where as you would expect every kind of debauchery is going down in there. There is a young actor who I believe his name is Sean Harris that is absolutely amazing. It isn't easy I would think to scene-steal with an old pro like Michael Caine but Harris manages it. We are every bit as uneasy in his presence as Harry. It isn't exactly clear what it is that Harry intended to do once he got in there, but once the door closes behind him we know he is going to have to fight his way out again. There are moments when we sense that Harry is —as he should be—scared, and that he might just pay for the gun and leave with his skin if he has the chance but his sense of duty will not permit it. While this scene was unfolding I was in awe of how well it was crafted in relation to what I had seen before, I sensed that the film had really hit it's peak early, that nothing that could come after could be quite as good and as it turned out, it wasn't. Harry you're a rental, a good pick-up from the used bin. <br> <br> <br>
