Sir Michael Caine stars in the eponymous role as a pensioner living on a London housing estate which is in utter thrall to the local vicious thugs - as the film opens his beloved wife passes away in hospital which leaves him devasted,and he can only find solace in his regular games of chess at the local pub with his best friend who soon after is butchered by some of the local scum.
He speaks to the police in the rather unlikely form of Inspector Emily Mortimer who apparently seem powerless to help. Sounds familiar? This is a British version of Clint Eastwood's wonderful Gran Torino which was so mesmerising recently but I am going to say that this is even better.
Fortunately (or unfortunately for the local lowlifes) Sir Michael is a former Royal Marine who has lost none of his skills and in true Charles Bronson fashion sets out to "clean up the neighbourhood".Comparisons with the brilliant Death Wish have been heavily alluded to not least by Sir Michael himself in interviews in which he says that whilst "Charlie Bronson" was the perpetrator his character of Harry Brown is just as much a victim as those to whom he metes out justice.
Only that is not the case for as soon as he acquires some weaponry off he goes to kill all the villains he can find.There is a final showdown in his local pub with a twist which I will not give away.This is to a certain extent film-making by numbers with good and evil clearly delineated but is none the poorer for it.The decent people are decent and the villains are loathsome in the extreme and deserve all they reap from Michael's vengeance.
A journey through the dark underbelly of the capital - memo to self - don't live on a London housing estate.A towering performance worthy of comparison to some of his finest roles.10/10
He speaks to the police in the rather unlikely form of Inspector Emily Mortimer who apparently seem powerless to help. Sounds familiar? This is a British version of Clint Eastwood's wonderful Gran Torino which was so mesmerising recently but I am going to say that this is even better.
Fortunately (or unfortunately for the local lowlifes) Sir Michael is a former Royal Marine who has lost none of his skills and in true Charles Bronson fashion sets out to "clean up the neighbourhood".Comparisons with the brilliant Death Wish have been heavily alluded to not least by Sir Michael himself in interviews in which he says that whilst "Charlie Bronson" was the perpetrator his character of Harry Brown is just as much a victim as those to whom he metes out justice.
Only that is not the case for as soon as he acquires some weaponry off he goes to kill all the villains he can find.There is a final showdown in his local pub with a twist which I will not give away.This is to a certain extent film-making by numbers with good and evil clearly delineated but is none the poorer for it.The decent people are decent and the villains are loathsome in the extreme and deserve all they reap from Michael's vengeance.
A journey through the dark underbelly of the capital - memo to self - don't live on a London housing estate.A towering performance worthy of comparison to some of his finest roles.10/10
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