EVERY MAN HAS A BREAKING POINT.
A retired Marine (Michael Caine) watches his neighborhood being dominated by violent gangs; the final straw comes when an old friend of his is murdered by them. Daniel Barber’s directing debut is the perfect vehicle for Caine, who actually grew up near the rundown area where the film was shot. He brings credibility and strength, as the quiet old veteran, to a story that without his presence might have looked as a simple repeat of vigilante thrillers like Death Wish (1974) and The Brave One (2007). Harry Brown’s balance between decency and lawlessness is just as easy to believe as these grim locations. Brutal, and exciting stuff.
2009-Britain. 102 min. Color. Widescreen.Ā Produced byĀ Matthew Vaughn, Keith Bell, Matthew Brown, Kris Thykier.Ā Directed byĀ Daniel Barber.Ā Screenplay:Ā Gary Young.Ā Cast:Ā Michael Caine (Harry Brown), Emily Mortimer (Alice Frampton), Charlie Creed-Miles (Terry Hicock), Ben Drew, Liam Cunningham, Iain Glenā¦ Jack O’Connell.
Last word:Ā “I had gone into this film with the attitude of ‘let’s lock them all up and throw away the key’ ā all of those old opinions. But now I have completely changed my mind.Ā Meeting the kids around Elephant and Castle I realised how wrong I was.Ā Those young children were born like all other young children yet they were turned into what they are by the society we have created.Ā I spent a lot of time talking to the actual lads as we filmed and every single one I spoke to felt that they hadn’t been given a chance at all.Ā I am talking about kids who would scare the daylights out of you on any other occasion. But I came to realise they had been let down.” (Caine, Daily Mirror)
