14 days till Christmas and we reach my 15th favourite movie of 2009. I was profoundly moved by this film last month, and seeing one of Britain’s finest actors ever re-capture his staggering brilliance was an event worth shouting from the rooftops.
Number 15 on my list is…
When his only friend, Len, is killed by local drug dealers, Harry Brown vows revenge. As a former soldier in Northern Ireland during the troubles Harry rediscovers this forgotten part of himself and sets out to dispense vigilante justice. Not an easy task for a widower in his 70s, living in a council flat on a rough estate, on medication for emphysema.
Why is it worthy: A wonderful take on the tortures people are willing to inflict on others if pushed to breaking point, this is perhaps Caine’s finest role in 20 years. The entire movie hangs on his performance and he proves himself worthy with a vibrant display of emotional depth and charisma. Caine’s character draws you in and it is a pleasure to just watch him do nothing at all such is the command he has over the audience. Comparisons to the likes of Gran Torino, Falling Down and Dirty Harry are justified as this is an epic story of one man’s quest for vengeance. The look of the movie is magnificent, all faded greys and muted colours. First-time director Daniel Barber lets the action and Caine do all the dirty-work and that’s to his credit. Many would be too self-conscious and constantly attempt to put their own stamp on the movie.
Fatal flaws: Unfortunately many of the other characters pale against Caine’s performance, Emily Mortimer in particular is given little to do with her role as a well-meaning police officer. The bad-guys are all painted with broad-strokes too. They’re all mean thugs and street-hoodlums undeserving of our time or the scripts. There’s a certain lack of impetus in the build-up to the life-affirming change in Brown. The slow-build is worth it though as once the film hits it’s stride it full-throttle till the end. Caine’s character too is not without flaw, often times he is too trigger happy, not stop for the contemplative reasoning that gives meaning to his actions. Thankfully these episodes are few and far between.
Verdict: A powerful personal performance from Caine and a must-see for fans of hard-hitting cinema.
The Countdown
25. This Is It
24. Adventureland
23. Drag Me To Hell
22. Anvil
21. In the Loop
20. Watchmen
19. The Hangover
18. Coraline
17. Public Enemies
16. (500) Days of Summer
Would see this purely for Caine’s performance, and ‘Get Carter’ is still my favourite film of his…a very dark movie despite its ‘cool’ reputation.
Another film I haven’t seen. Why do you do this to me Niall?