Harry Brown

The new Michael Caine film, in which he plays the eponymous Harry Brown, is some what confused. In Taxi Driver De Niro spoke the line "One day a rain will come that will wash all the scum off the streets". He then sets about becoming that rain and we watch as it costs him his sanity, his soul and his ideals. By looking to do away with sickness, he only serves to perpetuate it. Harry Brown (the film, as opposed to the titular character) looks like it's doing a lot of moralising and has the appearance of good artistic sensibilities, but its message is essentially that the way forward is to go over the heads of the failed justice system and blow away the criminal element. It is by this means that Harry Brown (the titular character, as opposed to the film) finds peace and justice for himself and his community.

The best term i've heard used to classify the film is 'chavsploitation'. The South London estate Harry lives on is plagued by a gang completely devoid of any morality. They are, classically, raised by single mothers (fathers absent by either death, non-commitment or imprisonment), armed, connected with serious and organised criminal activity, drug-dealing, turf-conscious, violent, remorseless, wild and chaotic scum bags from your nightmares. These characters are set-up to be completely beyond redemption and vile to the core so when they get what's coming we're in no doubt about what a good thing is happening. These characters are also set-up to be associated in your mind with those kids round where you live.



The film seems to use the 'from bad stock' argument as further reason to write them off, rather than as reason to consider exploring cycles of abuse.

What's confused is that Harry and the film gradually see more and more of this underworld and how systemic and far reaching its culture, and its causes and effects, are. Yet, by the end, one man and one man's murders have solved the problems of his estate. With all that in mind it's not surprising that the Daily Mail writer says "Finally a film that really matters". The idea of wiping out a class of people as a solution completely disregards the filling of the void that would remain and the fact that the problems are symptomatic of deeper ills in society.

One of the things that was most disturbing about the film was its conviction of the unchangeable, unrepentant nature of the villainous characters. This is disturbing because it portrays our freedom of choice as a much more limited thing than we might like. Abuse and cycles of destruction in culture and through generations have enormous power, and to suggest that our individual freedom of choice is enough to counter it is probably very naive. Enter God's power into the fray! Except in my experience (which adds to my disturbed state) even 'saved' and baptised people are held by culture, addiction and patterns of old and of character.

So i think i'm left with unproven faith, my stupid hope and love.