I got a freebie the other night to see a preview of Harry Brown, which stars Michael Caine.
A man loses the people he loves and is set on a course of action to bring justice to some very nasty characters who live on the same estate. Drugs, guns, and violence all feature, so it's not one for the faint-of--heart. If Jack Carter had survived and reformed, maybe Caine's Harry Brown would have been the result. When the police prove ineffectual, he is pushed into being the judge, jury and executioner, which perhaps lends the film a ring of Death Wish or perhaps Gran Torino about it.
Caine and many of the other actors give very good performances. Caine portrays beautifully an elderly person struggling with grief but wanting to effect change. The actors playing some of the villains managed to do so in a way that ensures no sympathy whatsoever for their characters. The pot-growing handgun salesmen come to mind - they were scary.
It's a dark morality tale, structured like an old-fashioned western (a reluctant and unexpected hero is forced into confronting evil and finally overcomes, to the enrichment of his community).
It's worth seeing.
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