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Critics Consensus: Its lurid violence may put off some viewers, but Harry Brown is a vigilante thriller that carries an emotional as well as a physical punch, thanks to a gripping performance from Michael Caine in the title role.
Critic Consensus: Its lurid violence may put off some viewers, but Harry Brown is a vigilante thriller that carries an emotional as well as a physical punch, thanks to a gripping performance from Michael Caine in the title role.
All Critics (124) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (78) | Rotten (46) | DVD (7)
Caine, that master of gentle sadness, lets us know Harry immediately as a good man trying to get by -- and trying to understand what seems like madness.
After a long run of baroquely plotted crime dramas like Layer Cake and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, it's a little depressing to come across a vigilante drama whose sole twist is its protagonist's advanced age.
It's simply the tale of a man who decides to do something and sticks to his guns, so to speak. That the man is played by Michael Caine is what makes it worthwhile.
On one side, it's all compellingly believable; on the other, it's simply incredible. We do our best to straddle the rift but, in the end, the gulf proves too wide, the contrast too great, and a tumbling movie takes us down with it.
The film ranks right up there with Sleuth, Get Carter and Mona Lisa as being amongst Caineâ(TM)s toughest and best performances.
In Gran Torino, Eastwood took on the moral issues that screenwriter Gary Young and first-time director Daniel Barber studiously avoid. It's the difference between riveting and repellent.
Harry Brown might just about have got by as a tongue-in-cheek popcorn romp, but by setting itself up as a virtual state-of-the-nation address it only draws attention to its own petty, embittered vacuity.
If all these aspects could be fleshed out and balanced, "Harry Brown" would be an excellent film. As it stands, it's an interesting look into one man's vigilantism, whose partial success is entirely do to the many talents of Michael Caine.
By the end, it's turned from a geriatric Death Wish into a one-dimensional Taxi Driver...
"[Caine] elevates this grim vigilante-fest from pretty darn good to essential viewing."
A lot to digest stylistically and narratively, but Harry Brown is developed in an ever-increasing, shock-inducing manner and is undeniably successful.
Although Caine lives up to expectations in this nicely crafted (though violent) film, the oversimplified story he's given to work with keeps it from the top of Caine's impressive filmography.
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Super Reviewer
A bitter and disenchanting look at urban violence in modern England. An old man and former Marine is facing more and more deaths and crime in his neighborhood until he finally refuses to ignore it any longer. It is Michael Caine's face and outstanding acting that carries the film through the slower passages as his character gets more and more involved into the bloody events. Most viewers will catch themselves cheering for revenge, which is quite interesting because the film certainly does not try to praise vigilante tendencies. It is uncertain why the film feels the need to add a riot towards the end, but the finale is exciting nonetheless. A pretty gloomy and bloody film, but one that raises interesting questions without pretending to know the answers.
Depressingly realistic film about a british OAP who finally has enough and decides it's time to clean up his council estate. Death Wish meets cocoon.
An ex-Marine becomes a vigilante in a crime-ridden estate. Michael Caine is a vulnerable badass and gives a strong performance in the lead role of this morose action film. But it is unfortunate that he is the sole highlight of this film. Emily Mortimer is about as believable as a cop as Charlton Heston was believable as a Mexican. There is not an ounce of toughness to her character, and her attempts at the "wise detective" trope fall flat. What is more, the story packs no surprises except for the improbable ones, and even these feel like a writer over-manipulating his plot. Overall, I like Michael Caine, but I can't like this film.
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