Harry Brown

Why critics continue to be so harsh on Daniel Barber's feature debut still puzzles me as this is one bloody good film. By no means unique as we've seen this "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" story many times but the way it's presented here gives it a new twist. There is in fact a story and where it ends up should take you by surprise. What also might surprise you is Michael Caine who appears to have actually showed up to film this rather than mailing in his work. This is in no way a knock at Caine who I always enjoy but there is a gravitas to his work here we've not seen recently. Many ave written they found the villains cartoonish and if so I'd love to know what 'toons they be watchin' 'cause I want 'em! The scene where Caine goes to buy a gun introduces us to a couple of blokes you're not likely to forget anytime soon and by my book is an instant classic. Aside from the excellent ending I enjoyed Barber's restraint with the social commentary. Unlike so many American films he doesn't hammer you over the head with a Reader's Digest message of the day, he doesn't have to as it's there right before your eyes and while you may like HARRY BROWN you wont like what you see.