I went to this film on a complete whim, knowing nothing but two things, a.) it starred Michael Caine, an actor I am neutral on at best, sometimes I like him, others not so much, and b.) I had seen one photo of him wielding a gun.  I knew nothing of the plot, so anything could have happened and I would have no preconceived notions of what to expect.  This is a fairly uncommon place to be in for me, a.) as a film writer, and b.) simply due to the volume of information on films available.  I am happy to report, I came away pleasantly surprised with the results.

Harry Brown is a drama/thriller by a relatively new director, Daniel Barber, from a screenplay penned by Gary Young.  Neither of these names are likely to mean much to audiences here in the states (up to this point).  Brown stars the aforementioned Caine as the titular Harry, a widower who lives in a slum akin to those Jay-Z often raps about.  These projects are rampant with crime and drugs, both of which come into Harry’s life in not-so-pleasant circumstances.  I.E., he’s not the one willingly doing blow, brandishing weapons and breaking into people’s homes – at least at first.  However, when a crime is committed on Harry’s best friend Lenny, Lenny attempts to strike back with vengeance on a crew of thugs who are the suspected perpetrators.  The results are less than fruitful as Lenny is murdered.

Michael Caine's Harry Brown is an O.G. that would make Ice-T proud.

Thus begins an investigation into Lenny’s mysterious death and a deeper look at the crimes that the group of hoodlums have routinely become known for.  Emily Mortimer plays Alice Frampton, a new to the precinct law woman who decides she wants to investigate the death with more aplomb than the usual detective would apply.  Normally, its take a report and let the locals sort it out, but her curiosity is piqued for reasons unexplained.  Meanwhile, driven by loneliness and revenge, Harry begins his own sort of investigation to bring his own brand of justice to the passing of his buddy. Thus begins a sort of cat and mouse game between the thugs, Harry, Frampton and even others that will be revealed with a viewing.

As Harry descends deeper into his moral self and calls upon his past as a war hero, a complicated moral quandary comes to the fore front that will be revealed in time.  An intriguing plot unravels on the screen in a rather unusual way.  Caine’s Harry takes on a form of Liam Neeson-lite from last year’s Taken.  Though maybe not highly plausible, the circumstances and actions in the film are still mired in enough realism to keep the viewer on edge.  Barber has some good locations to shoot in and Young’s script delivers a nice mix of both the dramatic and thrilling.  The climax will likely leave you talking about the film afterward.  Brown may not the most rewarding film you will see all year, but it will likely be near the top in originality.  The mix of young (the thugs, gangsterism) and old (Caine, revenge) blend nicely into a cohesive whole.  It’s a close call on the final verdict, but I give Harry Brown a fairly solid recommendation as mature adult entertainment.

UPDATE: This film has been pushed back to February 19th, 2010.

Like Sergio Leone with westerns or Alfred Hitchcock with thrillers, Martin Scorsese has become synonymous with the crime genre. Such movies like Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino and The Departed have easily become the most movies of the genre.  However, it’s unfair to simply label Scorsese with crime movies when he has a proven track record of doing other things like dramas (The Aviator), documentaries (The Last Waltz) and historical epics (Gangs of New York). Easily his best non-crime movie would be Raging Bull, sometimes considered his best overall. I’m glad to see Scorsese change it up yet again, with a thriller called Shutter Island, his first thriller since the remake of Cape Fear in 1991. It actually even borders the horror genre, which would be a first for Scorsese. Shutter Island stars Leonardo DiCaprio making it the fourth time they’ve worked together (like DeNiro before), the others being, Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed. Shutter Island was adapted from a book of the same name, written by Dennis Lehane in 2003.  Lehane’s other work includes the adapted Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River as well as having been a writer for HBOs great “The Wire.”

Ashes, ashes, we all fall DOWN.

Set in 1954, DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. marshal investigating the vanishing of a patient from a mental hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, much like Alcatraz.  Joining him is his partner, U.S. marshal Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo, Zodiac). They are looking for an escaped patient named Rachel Soldano (Emily Mortimer, Match Point), who just disappeared a mere 24 hours after they got there.  Helping with the investigation is Dr. John Cawley, (Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast) the hospital’s administrator and main physician. While searching for Rachel, they get suspicious of what Dr. Cawley is telling them and soon question his story. Before they can start a truthful investigation, the island is struck by a hurricane, which traps the marshals and a cell riot ensues. They now have to deal with their own sanity amongst the insane and find the real truth behind Shutter Island.

The movie will also co-star Michelle Williams (Synecdoche,  New York), Max Von Sydow (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), Patricia Clarkson (Pieces of April), Elias Koteas (Shooter) and the Zodiac killer himself, John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac). Martin Scorsese (obviously) directs Shutter Island and works from the adapted screenplay written by Laeta Kalogridis (Pathfinder).

"The better to shoot inmates with, my dear."

This looks sweet and you can count on me seeing it. Scorsese is a legend and is still one the best directors going. I’ll probably enjoy this a little more than normal because it brings the horror element into it. Since his last movie, The Departed, was such a commercial success, I think this should do well having Scorsese’s name on it. Plus, the horror/thriller genre has always been popular with audiences. Lock me down, because I’m ready to visit Shutter Island.

Shutter Island opens October 2^nd.