Rating of
1/4
"Harry Brown" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 11/11/12
An elderly ex-marine takes justice into his own hands when a local gang terrorise and murder his only friend. It's very easy to try and draw a comparison between Harry Brown and Gran Torino, being released as they were at around the same time, both featuring ageing vigilantes and both starring veteran stalwarts of tough guy cinema. But the comparison would only hold water if Gran Torino had been written and directed by Sylvester Stallone instead of Clint Eastwood. Michael Caine's performance is actually the only aspect of the film of any merit whatsoever and I must say that its quality serves only to throw into sharp relief just how dreadful everyone else involved are and to give credibility to a film that in essence is nothing more than exploitative trash. It contains exactly the same kind of cynical, manipulative plot devices that enable Steven Seagal and his ilk to exterminate all who oppose them without thought or conscience and its depiction of modern day Britain has clearly been transferred directly from the pages of that hateful right wing, scaremongering rag, The Daily Mail. Irreversible furnished me with enough dingy subway settings and sheer moral bankruptcy to last a lifetime, thank you very much.
