This by no mean looks a bad film, but I think it might give an unrealistic, Mail-tinted view of “thuggish” Britain. We’ll see.
Some reviews in already… andrews gives full marks and reports:
Absolutely marvellous – this is easily the best film I’ve seen all year. Michael Caine does the Gran Torino, and boy, how he does it!
As always, discuss the film and see more comments/reviews on the forum
I think the uk is desperate for a big hit and is pushing this one for an all out glory hit campaign. I’m sure many of us got an email asking for links to where we have blogged and review the film etc. The quality of British films in IMO have been very very mediocre. So far, I think the greatest Brit film in the last year or 2 was Five Minutes in Heaven which I dont even recall getting a cinema release here. I caught it on tv. But its just got a limited theatre release in America to deservedly rave reviews.
Well, finally seeing it tomorrow, and I cannot wait, the Movie-Con clips are still rather fresh, so I expect the whole film to really resonate for months after as well.
This isn’t an easy film to watch but I’d definitely recommend it. Thought-provoking and upsetting but well made and excellent acting. Yes it’s a little OTT but hey this is the movies.
This is definitely a film of two halves…
The first half confirmed my suspicion that this would be the new Taken – fiercely violent (which for me is fine), but with questionable overtones (not so fine). Worse, like Harry Brown listening to the radio, the film’s perspective was from the outside-in, and the lack of research really showed. Still I set out to judge the film by its own terms and, well, it was just really poor…. the first half, that is.
The plot was cliched and just went through the motions, the dialogue was clunky and full of exposition (particularly the police officers, who made no contribution to the film other than to spoon-feed us Brown’s motivation, which was redundant because of my next point), the characters were two-dimensional. Even the titular character. They just threw in a few events to form his motivation. Just compare that to the beautifully constructed development of character in Taxi Driver.
However, the scene where Brown goes to buy a gun marks a major turning point in quality. The dialogue and story weren’t nearly as bad, and even politically the film became fairly balanced (though unfortunately it seemed to have no interest whatsoever in the causes of its society’s dysfunction). The best thing was the directing, beautiful to look at and the story smartly portrayed. It was if the first half (3/10) had only been made to set up the second (8/10). Overall: 6/10.
Interesting, I found it the opposite.
The first hour was albeit poorly written a well acted, harrowing and unsettling series of bleak and real events.
As soon as Sir Caine grabs the gun the film becomes a series of ludicrous events and action pieces, and the final ‘twist’ based setting alongside the riots was laughably Michael Bay-ish in quality.
A real shame as there was hope. 8-9/10 for the first half, but as a whole it drops to 6/10
Yeah I’ve got to agree, the "twist" was groan-worthy.
I saw this at Muswell Hill (London) today at 12.30 pm and the cinema was packed. I was surprised as my son and I once went to one of these early showings at another London Odeon and no one turned up. I thought the film was gritty, violent but gripping and Michael Caine was good. And as I’m not much of a Michael Caine fan this is quite an admission. The twist at the end was bad–surely Harry Brown seemed a pretty clever guy so surely he would have known something about who is related to whom.
And I think I recognised the area of the canal where they filmed so felt quite pleased with myself.
Saw this today in Sheffield.
Quite enjoyed this one. As has been mentioned I can see it being quite difficult for some people to watch. I’m 21 and wouldn’t want to watch it with my parents. Nor would I take my little neices and nephew for that matter!
I’d summarise it like this: Great cinematography but let down by a plot and dialogue that were both lacking in certain parts. Acting showed some good potential. I liked Caine in the role, but again, as has been mentioned, the police officers were cardboard cutouts.
I’d agree with EthanRunt that the second half was where it took a bit of a turn downhill – why did a full-blown riot kick off? where exactly did the kids find the space to store their unending supply of molotov cocktails? etc.
Those detractions aside I did enjoy the film and would watch it again. 6/10.
OH and I saw this tonight at Cineworld Crawley (the 3rd preview there in total and the 2nd today as there had also been a 12.30 pm perf) and it was quite full. To my relief, the violence was nothing like as graphic as I had feared, so I was not only able to watch the whole film but to enjoy it. Yes, the plot was implausible but for entertainment value I’d give it 8/10 and was glad I’d seen it.
I hated pretty much everything about this film apart from the acting of Michael Caine. It is completely abysmal. All of the acting other than Caine is crap, especially Emily Mortimer and Iain Glen. The heavy handed attempts at style are crap and would make a rubbish Guy Ritchie film look like a Sergio Leone masterpiece in comparison. Prime example being early POV scene on motorbike. The Pete Tong music is crap. The heavy handed politics are atrocious.
Please try to watch a proper film, and avoid financing this garbage. I just don’t know what is happening with everyone praising this poster child for the Daily Mail worldview.
Don’t people ever go to see good films? Did nobody see Let The Right One In, Drag Me To Hell, Fish Tank, In The Loop, Inglourious Basterds, Synecdoche New York, Anvil: The Story Of Anvil, Zombieland, The Hurt Locker, Adventureland, Moon, Up, Encounters At The End Of The World, The Wrestler this year?
Besides Encounters I’ve seen all of those, Right One was a disappointingly dull film, Synecdoche was depressing second time round, Adventureland was appalling, the rest were great, but Harry Brown did have some solid aspects, just, not enough.
RioBravo, you are more than entitled to your opinions but think you should afford the rest of us the same privilege. I’m all for you telling us your critical opinion of a film but don’t tell me what is a ‘good’ film and what isn’t. We can all make up our own minds on that.
and i’ll second that.
I loved this film. A gritty, violent portrayal of an increasingly tiresome subsection of society that you wouldn’t mind if somebody did shoot.
I watched this on Monday and was really traumatised. Call me a coward but I spent most of the film hiding under my coat. Apart from all the violence and gore, it had a really good message behind it.
Please try to watch a proper film, and avoid financing this garbage. I just don’t know what is happening with everyone praising this poster child for the Daily Mail worldview.
Don’t people ever go to see good films? Did nobody see Let The Right One In, Drag Me To Hell, Fish Tank, In The Loop, Inglourious Basterds, Synecdoche New York, Anvil: The Story Of Anvil, Zombieland, The Hurt Locker, Adventureland, Moon, Up, Encounters At The End Of The World, The Wrestler this year?
I saw all but two of the films you mention in your last paragragh and enjoyed them. But I don’t think this gives me or you the right to denigrate any one elses opinion. Personally, I loved Harry Brown and wish that people would wake up and realise that the kind of behaviour HB reacted against goes on in real life a lot more than is publicised and not always in inner city estates. Lack of respect is the start of bad behaviour. Let’s hope that your lack or respect doesn’t go further than some ill chosen words
And let’s hope yours doesn’t go further than deceit and trying to start arguments.
So……..back to Harry Brown. Excellent film.
I thought this film was ok! I liked the portrayal of the estate (though i was shocked to think that areas can actually be as bad as that – scary!) I love the Irish actor that played the barman/uncle (don’t know his name but enjoy him in everything he is in). When he first came into it I though ‘oh it’s not his usual role (quiet, unassumimg etc)! Ha!
I enjoyed the scene in the drug den – that scene couldn’t have ended happier for me – that guy with the scars and stuff was soooo gross.
I am not giving it rave reviews purely becuase I found it a little TOO bleak & doom and gloom and overall a bit depressing (e.g no-one but Micheal Caine attending his friends funeral). I know it was supposed to be like that but I didn’t enjoy feeling like that. And I also found Micheal Caines charachter & mission a little far fetched! But I thought it was ok! 6/10
Liam Cunningham plays Sid.
I found this film interesting and somewhat revealing of the times we live in. With elements of violence, revenge, frustration, corruption, political games played by the police, this film outlines the issues that distinct sectors of our society face today. Good acting by all, great photography, good camera work, this is a great film. Due to the amount of violence shown, I don’t think it is for everyone’s taste, but a very good film anyway.
I am kind of slightly surprised they are showing Harry Brown at Odeon Leicester Square. It didn’t seem like the kind of film that would draw a large group for a huge cinema like Odeon Leicester Square. (they showed Gran Torino there too)
Its because I think, whoever the powers maybe, are pushing Harry Brown to be UK’s flagship movie, hoping for a big international success with Michael Caine returning to the action hero role. The marketing is a full on onslaught to propel this movie as an action vigilante movie. The poster is very enticing, in fact, if I hadnt seen the film already I would be pulled into watching the old cockney legend return to his tough guy Harry Palmer persona!
I get that, but Odeon Leicester Square is where you normally get harry potter 6, transformers 4, Pirates of the Carribean 5….etc etc…hehe
I used to live down the road from this estate (the Heygate, Elephant & Castle…..known locally as ‘the ‘aygate’!), my husbands Nan lived there so I spent a lot of time there. It’s just as bleak and grim as it looks in the film! I last went there 12 years ago and it was rough then, but wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it was portrayed in the film. But 12 years is a long time and society has changed an awful lot…………….
It’s an interesting enough film for a British film (where you always have to lower your standards to a certain extent) but there are some real issues with a lot of the supporting characters (the DI played by Emily Mortimer in particular) which kind of leaves the impression that the filmmakers weren’t paying all that much attention to the film they were making…