I had meant to watch this as a double feature, along with The Equalizer, but I bit off more than I could chew and fell asleep before I could get to it. Turns out my instincts were right on the money, as Harry Brown would indeed make for a perfect complement to that film. I’d even go so far as to call it the British equivalent to it, in fact.
The legendary Michael Caine plays the titular character, a recent widower and former Marine who gets up, cooks breakfast, goes down to the local pub for a few pints with local bartender Sid (Liam Cunningham, aka “Davos” from Game of Thrones) and a game of chess with his old mate Len (David Bradley, aka “Creacher” of the Harry Potter series), then goes home, watches a little telly and goes to bed. That’s about it.
One day, Len comes into the pub furious over the dealings he’s had with a gang of local youths, who have been tormenting him nearly non-stop at and around the apartment complex he and Harry live in. Brandishing a large knife, he declares to Harry his intentions to stand up to them, which Harry advises against.
Perhaps needless to say, things don’t go well, and the next day, two cops (Emily Mortimer, The Newsroom; and Charlie Creed-Miles, Wild Bill) arrive to give Harry the bad news that Len has been killed. Even worse, the thugs who did it might skate on a self-defense charge.
Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Harry starts observing the youths, learning their habits and eventually engaging with a drug dealer and weapons supplier (Sean Harris, Prometheus, 24-Hour Party People) in the neighborhood to get a hold of a gun to help carry out his plan.
Things go from there, getting more and more violent, as things come to a head not only with Harry and his intended prey- the thugs who killed his friend- but with the cops (led by Game of Thrones star Iain Glen, aka "Jorah") and the gangs in the same area, eventually leading to a stand-off on both ends. Will Harry survive? Hell, will the police? Nothing is for certain in this gripping action-thriller.
What I liked about the film is how methodical it is. Not unlike his favorite game of chess, Harry studies the board before making a move, planning his assault piece by piece, leaving as little to chance as possible.
His moves aren’t always rational, but then, neither are his actions. He ultimately just wants to avenge his friend, after all, while perhaps at least making a dent in the local crime in his neighborhood- which, after all, is what the cops want to do as well. (The latter, not the former, obviously.)
Unlike The Equalizer, this isn’t a one-man-army mowing down all comers, single-handedly taking down an entire crime syndicate alone. His main targets are simply the ones who killed his friends, and if anyone happens to get in his way, fine, he’ll take care of them, too, but it’s not as if he’s looking to kill everyone in sight, even those only connected peripherally. Just the guilty ones, for the most part.
Nor is he infallible or unstoppable. At one point, he even ends up in the hospital- not because he injured himself, but because he overexerted himself! Unlike The Equalizer, he’s not a superhero disguised as a mild-mannered working class guy, he’s a retired old man that’s simply had enough and decides to do something about it. If he ends up dying for his efforts, so be it. As he sees it, he has nothing to lose, anyway, having lived a full life as it is.
I can’t imagine I need to tell you that Caine is on top of his game here. When isn’t he? But that said, this is absolutely the best thing I’ve seen him in, in many a moon. You can feel him rising to the occasion, just like Harry Brown himself. Alfred from The Dark Knight this isn’t.
Though it’s much more of a slow burn than The Equalizer- it is British after all, and the work of Guy Ritchie and the occasional exception like Welcome to the Punch notwithstanding, that tends to be the case with most English films, action or otherwise.
So, if you don’t mind a slightly slower pace to your action, and you like the aforementioned cast members, you’ll probably like this, especially if you’re a Caine fan, and who isn’t? The guy’s a national treasure, for God’s sake.
By all means, check it out.
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