HARRY BROWN (2010)

Watched: 5/30/2010

Harry Brown leads a lonely life after becoming a widower and losing his one and only friend, Leonard. After reaching his breaking point, Leonard had decided to take the problems of the drug-fueled, violent youth gangs into his own hands. Now, alone, harassed and convinced more than ever of the uselessness of the police, Harry has no choice but to use the military training he had long since repressed to satisfy his burning need for vengeance. The problem is, his body is no longer as sharp as his mind.

I love a good vigilante story and HARRY BROWN is one of them. There’s something about the tone of the film that makes it extremely compelling, it’s a quite contemplative film, the camera takes a step back from the characters at most times except in cases of short bursts of extreme violence. The violence isn’t glorified, it is more the question mark at the end of a series of questionable choices Harry must make on his journey. And I’m not sure we’re always mean to be rooting for him. This playful back-and-forth across the lines of ethics is best demonstrated when he visits a drug den to buy a gun. This is an extremely creepy and effective scene that builds up to a powerful demonstration of Harry’s conviction.

The one element that doesn’t work here is the police subplot. Having already established their incompetence (or inability/unwillingness to recognize the gang problem) there’s no real need for them to be around other than for Emily Mortimer’s character to serve as a plot device in the third act. Outside of that, though, this is a solid retelling of a familiar story that remains respectful of its characters while challenging us to wonder if we’d be able to do the same horrible things in their shoes.

• 2010 New: 163
• 2010 Re-see: 66
• 2010 TOTAL: 229