Harry Brown

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I hear that it's out in the UK (or at least advance screening). Is it any good? I've watched the trailers and it's more appealing to me than Gran Torino (which it's apparantly the "British version" of) and Michael Caine is just getting better with age.

It won't come out here so I'll have to find "other" ways of watching it.

[TKz]

I'm hopefully going to go see it this friday with my mate Dave, I'm pretty excited for it as Michael Caine has become one of my favourite actors in recent years. He just seems to keep getting better, and while him having a lead role is rare nowadays, it still makes me sad to know that this will be his final one.

I also really liked Gran Torino, but apart from an older man taking on a gang of kids, I fail to see how it's THAT much similar. I get the feeling Harry Brown will be more of a "Cool" kind've film with more action that you won't have to completely lose yourself in to enjoy it, where as Gran Torino was a lot more artsy and in depth and gun fighting wasn't really the main focus.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Just reading the plot synopsis it doesn't really sound anything at all like Gran Torino.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'm only going on the taglines mind you that all the lazy reviewers use because it involves an older bloke fighting back against younger scumbags.

[hackerjack]

It isn't. One or two plot elements are similar and of course critics love to label a film as the new this or that so the lazy ones have picked up on it.

It won't be as obviously arty and dark as Gran Turino anyway, British films rarely ever go that route and this is being billed as essentially a British underground film. I expect to see soemthing closer to Green Street or Football Factory in terms of the feel of the film.

Anyway will be going to see it either Friday (if I'm recovered early enough from Thrusday night) or next week sometime.

[TKz]

Just seen it today - absolutely fantastic I thought, definitely one of my favourite films this year. Caine, as expected, was just brilliant in the role, though it wasn't quite as much of an action as expected. The female cop's story seemed a little, I don't know, cut short I suppose. Like there was meant to be more to it than you get to see in the film. Overall, a really fan-dabi-dozi film though.

[Jimmy]

It's a shame it's an 18. Is the action and violence 18-worthy? Either way, I'll probably search this one out on DVD; looks like a pretty good British film.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

18 certification isn't just because of violence (sadistic, vengeful or un-needily vicious), language (not much left that goes in an 18 now) and sex (full frontal sexy scenes)...It's about the underlying story too.

From not watching it (and I may be REALLY wrong) I'd say that it's probably not sex, language isn't really an issue nowadays (unless the C word is used multiple times or implied in a sexual manner) and the violence may be borderline. It's probably down to the mature "substance" of the storyline.

[IAceI]

I went to see it on Wednesday as I had to review it for University, I thought it was good and Caine played the lead really well but felt not a lot else was really explored in terms of characters and such.

I enjoyed watching it, and I thought it was well worked from Barber given it was his first big project but struggled to attach myself to the far-fetched storyline, but I did enjoy it.

I don't think our American cousins will really "get it" (and I hope they don't mind me saying it) quite like we do and that might hurt it's worldwide popularity but in Britian it'll probably be viewed quite favourably.

O'Donnell (Cook from Skins) pretty much reprises the only role he's ever played and he does it quite well. Was weird seeing Eli from Emmerdale and Munch from 2 Pints... in there snorting coke and holding people at knifepoint etc.

Edited November 14, 2009 by IAceI

[TKz]

I will say that it really does an incredible job of representing the Britain that most visitors don't see. The portrayal of the chavs, It's really not very far removed AT ALL from reality. Which is a sad, sad fact honestly. I mean a few of the dealers houses in my area I've been too aren't too different, though I don't get mixed up with anything much worse than weed, so...

It's an 18 most likely due to some of the more graphic scene's, it's got some pretty clear shots of people shooting heroin, a woman overdosing (while a tape of her being fucked plays on the TV next to her) & at one point there's a pretty extended view of a man being stabbed to death and a bloke who's stomach has been opened up by a bullet. And the C word is used pretty much non-stop. I'd say it certainly warrants the 18 rating, because it's a lot more grim than it might look from trailers.

EDIT: And yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if viewers outside of Britain don't quite "get it", one of the thing's that made it so impressive was how close to the real Britain it was, which obviously most people outside of Britain won't really be able to relate too.

[hackerjack]

Went to see it Fridy night and was very impressed initially, it certainly grips you and pulls you into the whole scene (one a lot of us in the UK sadly recognise all too well). After a bit of pondering though I would say it was good, but not fan-dabi-dozi nor as good as it could have been.

It's definately not a charachter piece of a vehicle for brilliant performances, Caine is good as usual but he's really the only actor that gets to show anything much, the star is the atmosphere.

There is a quite a bit of violence obviously, but it's a realistic kind of nasty violence at the same time which definately warrents the 18 on it's own, and thats before you get to the heroin use, language and sex.

After thinking about the film though I'm a little dissapointed, there is just so little background at all that it is quite difficult to care about many of the charachters. The two police officers could clearly be seen to have motivations behind their actions but that was never explained. Frampton was stated to have requested assignment to there instead of a cushier job and was asked why but never answered while I got the feeling that Hicock probably grew up if not on the estate then somewhere similar from is actions and demenour towards the kids but agai there is no confirmation in the film. If a few minutes had been spent fleshing out these background stories then it would have made a lot more sense when they went agaisnt orders late on and you would have actually cared about their charachters a little more and the climax would have been far better.

I was also not a fan of the "happy ending".

[KoA]

I'll be going to see this on Monday hopefully; despite not being 18. I have my tried-and-tested tactics, we shall say. Doesn't look as though from what most are saying that I'll be disappointed, so I'm quite stoked for it. Michael Caine is supposedly fantastic in it, as I'd expect, so that's a huge pulling factor for me.

Very much looking forward to it.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'll be going to see this on Monday hopefully; despite not being 18. I have my tried-and-tested tactics, we shall say. Doesn't look as though from what most are saying that I'll be disappointed, so I'm quite stoked for it. Michael Caine is supposedly fantastic in it, as I'd expect, so that's a huge pulling factor for me.

Very much looking forward to it.

False moustache?

[TKz]

I'll be going to see this on Monday hopefully; despite not being 18. I have my tried-and-tested tactics, we shall say. Doesn't look as though from what most are saying that I'll be disappointed, so I'm quite stoked for it. Michael Caine is supposedly fantastic in it, as I'd expect, so that's a huge pulling factor for me.

Very much looking forward to it.

False moustache?

I used to find a tweed jacket and a monocle will get you far.

[KoA]

No, just buy a ticket for something else and sneak into the Harry Brown theatre...But those other solutions might work too.

[TheArsenal]

How close to reality is it?

During the screening I went to see, a fight broke out in the cinema.

[hackerjack]

How close to reality is it?

During the screening I went to see, a fight broke out in the cinema.

If you've lived in anywhere remotely similar then it is all too close to reality, apart from the gun-wielding pensioner part of course.

That said, there were a group of kids dressed pretty much exactly like the kids in the film at the same screening as me who all seemed reasonable enough people when I chatted with them after. Just goes to prove the minority theory I guess.

[The Future]

I know this is off topic but I saw a slightly similar type of British movie to this but I don't know the name of.

It's about a couple who go camping to the woods I think? and a group of teenage thugs assault them and then the movie continues with the couple trying to escape from them and such. I remember the main teenagers name was James and it gets pretty violent with how they beat down and such. Any idea on what the name is?