shooting pigeons, yeah right!

new post is up for the film, Harry Brown, superb film and one not to be missed.

FILM ONLY REVIEW

Harry is an elderly man who lives on a very rough estate in London, his wife is sick in hospital and he has to make his journeys there on foot. The gangs of the estate make his journey longer as they spend their time in the underpasses taking drugs, mugging people and fighting. After his wife dies Harry turns to best friend Len for support but he too is having problems of his own. The gangs are bothering him and making his life hard, he has had letter bombs through the door and they verbally attack him whenever he goes out. Len tells Harry that he is going to get his revenge but unfortunately this does not go to plan and he ends up being murdered.

Harry was once in the Marines and knows how to shoot and defend himself so he decides he is going to avenge the death of his best friend. When the gangs start getting attacked the police are at a loss as to who is behind it but can Harry take them all out before he gets caught or will the gangs win overall?

This is a film which has interested me for some time but I have never managed to talk hubby into watching it, fortunately it was my film choice time so he had no choice but to sit and watch. He did actually end up saying that he thought it was excellent and would definitely have no problems in recommending it to anyone. The storyline was fantastic and even though Harry was of an elderly age it was still very believable. I think the fact we got to know of his military background helped a lot. The way the film was shot also made it seem more of a documentary at times than an actual film.

Michael Caine took the lead role of Harry Brown and he did a superb job with the character. He really bought Harry to life and gave us a good understanding of the way he thought and acted on things. I loved seeing the emotion he bought to the role as this made him more human. The way he dealt with the gang members was fantastic and how basic the fights and guns were was what really made me get into the film and believe what I was seeing. The appearance of Harry was good but I did have to comment on how much older Caine looks now but he has gained a little weight and he does look better for it. He portrayed his illness well and I loved how he was not a doddering old man but one of strength and emotion. He seemed at ease working with the guns and younger actors and I thought the gun did actually suit him.

We had some very good support actors in the film and as this is a British film I enjoyed the fact that they were all our home grown talent. Some of the looked familiar from other small parts in television series but some were new and I think they will have a bright future. Some of the actors included, Emily Mortimer, David Bradley, Iain Glen and Lee Oakes.

This is a very violent film and the way this was handled and show to us was very graphic at times, there were a few scenes when I had to look away as I found it a little too disturbing to watch but this just shows the lengths the producers went to making this film so real. There were some very good special effects and they were not overly done so they looked natural and fitted well into the story. We also had some other issues touched upon including abuse and drugs and they were also handled and shown well but I did not enjoy seeing all of them. I don’t think the film would have been as powerful if these issues had not been included as they did help to show what Harry was fighting for and against and just how bad places can get at times.

The sets and scenery for the film were all pretty dull but this was not a problem as it helped with the setting of the council estate, I am glad it was based here and not on a posh estate with a load of chavs as the gang members as it would not have worked as well. The costumes did not need very much attention as they were normal everyday clothes as this film is set in the present day. The soundtrack was not one which really stood out for me and I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. The fact that it blended well must have helped as this film is one which I will be forgetting about for a very long time.

I am only reviewing the film so there are no DVD extras to speak about. The film has a running time of 103 minutes and a rate of 18. I definitely agree with the rate as there are some very delicate and hard to watch issues included. The DVD can be bought for just £5 now in most shops and online.

I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars, it was perfect in everyway and seemed so real. Michael Caine bought the character of Harry to life so well and he had me feeling so many different emotions. This film is most definitely worth 103 minutes and £5 of anyone’s money.