Harry Brown

Starring Michael Caine, Harry Brown follows the title character (Caine) as he’s forced to take matters into his own hands after a gang of street toughs kill his best friend – with complications ensuing as a local police officer (Emily Mortimer’s Frampton) develops a creeping suspicion that Harry isn’t quite the harmless old man he appears to be. It’s an admittedly irresistible premise that leads the viewer to expect something along the lines of Death Wish or Straw Dogs, yet it’s clear right from the get-go that screenwriter Gary Young is aiming for a far more low-key and laid-back vibe – as the emphasis is initially placed on Harry’s deliberately-paced daily routine (eg he visits his ailing wife’s hospital bedside, he plays a game of chess with a chum, etc). The disparity between the movie’s set-up and its execution is hardly as problematic as one might’ve imagined, with Caine’s commanding and downright masterful performance effectively compensating for the less-than-electrifying nature of Young’s script. It’s only as Caine’s character is increasingly relegated to the sidelines that one’s attention starts to wane, as Young spends an awful lot of time on subplots that, when compared to the central storyline, simply aren’t all that interesting (eg Frampton’s ongoing efforts at convincing her skeptical superior that there’s more to Harry than meets the eye). The inclusion of a few suspenseful (and surprisingly badass) interludes (eg Harry, in a sequence that ultimately reveals itself as the highlight of the film, visits an exceedingly sleazy drug den to procure a firearm) allows Harry Brown to live up to its logline, although, in the final analysis, the movie is generally far more successful as a subdued character study than as a revenge thriller.

**1/2 out of ****