Harry Brown

Harry Brown is a fine, grim, well-paced film that will draw inevitable comparisons to Death Wish, in that it is about a man who becomes a vigilante. I haven't seen Death Wish in a long time, but it seems to my recollection that the earlier film was food for those who saw Charles Bronson as a hero, the kind of person who cheered Bernhard Goetz. Harry Brown has some of that, but is far more thoughtful and ambiguous.

Michael Caine, in another excellent performance, plays the title role. As the film begins he loses his wife to illness. He's retired, and a former Marine, but doesn't talk about those days, saying he was a different person then. He has one good friend, and they play chess together in the local pub.

They live in a high-crime neighborhood, ruled by punks who openly deal drugs and terrorize innocent bystanders. When Caine's friend is murdered, and the investigating inspector (Emily Mortimer) tells him the most severe charge may be manslaughter, he's had enough.

Caine doesn't go on a killing spree like Bronson, baiting criminals to their grisly ends. There is a long, nightmarish scene in which he visits the local drug-dealer to buy a gun that ends with the kind of violence that reminded me of Taxi Driver. Mortimer is quick to figure out what Caine is up to, but her superiors scoff at her accusations.

Harry Brown is a taut, engaging film that will have you questioning your own beliefs. There's no denying satisfaction in watching criminals get their just desserts, but at the same time you may echo Mortimer's question to Caine: "Where does it end?"