Pensioner with an attitude

Walking sticks, zimmer frames, grumpy, smell of moths and fake teeth - the stereotype pensioner that at times are an unappreciated group of people.  I always knew that pensioners had secret talents. Skills that they have obtained from decades of living among us and spying on our ways of living. Most men have served time in the army.  Back then it was normal to spend years in the army as it paid well and provided an education.

Michael Caine, a brilliant British actor, has always been one of my favourites.  When he released his new movie about being a pensioner in a tough London suburb, I just had to see it.  Clint Eastwood did a great job explaining the living conditions in LA, so I was certain that Michael Caine could do it too. It's just different continents and London is a more dangerous city than LA apparently.

London is one of the (if not the) most dangerous place to live in Western Europe. Some say it's the most dangerous place in the industrialised world!  It even made it to the top 10 list, which is pretty scary actually, especially when you see some of the other cities listed.

The Movie "Harry Brown" is produced by the UK Film Council. I'm certain it was sponsored by the UK tourist board too.  Anyway, it portraits people who for some reason are attracted to crime, mob behaviour and use violence to control any confrontation. The movie also looks at the impact these thugs have on the community they live in.

Meet Harry Brown (Michael Caine).  He is a pensioner living in residential flats in the outskirts of London, shared with all levels of society, but mainly the lower classes. As any movie hero, Harry Brown has a secret past, which he has managed to keep contained for decades, and that surprises many of the thugs in the hood.  

Basically, Harry Brown is a loner who has tragically lost his daughter and wife.  His life is shattered even more, when his best mate is brutally killed by the local youth gang that are harassing the estate.  Enough is enough, and Harry takes matters into his own hands.  The police are attempting to assist, but are obstructed by legal red tape.  So, he tracks down the guys himself and kills them one by one, using his ex-marine skills and reflexes - as you do.  It is a brilliant movie that I can highly recommend. It makes "Gran Torino" look like a Disney movie.  Michael Caine becomes an unusual hero and saves day and the neighborhood.

Get it on DVD and enjoy a pensioner beat up thugs that deserve to be punished (not that I approve of vigilantes, but it was effective).  Characters and actors did a great job, making the movie a believable story, especially the young unknown actors that played tough criminals and drug addicts.  Even Vinnie Jones could learn some skills here.  Michael Caine brings a bit of  the"Italian Job", "Get Carter' and "Dirty Harry" back to the British screen, which hasn't been seen since "Lock, Stock..." by Guy Ritchie.

The not so glorious Bastards...

Quentin Tarantino hasn't released many great movies in recent years. So, when I heard he was making a World War II movie I was anxious to see it.  Surely, the man who created "From Dusk till Dawn", "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs" would be able to make a class movie, combining the gory fight scenes, the humorous dialogue and story.

The cast, as usual, was a lot of less famous actors and then one of the greatest male actors in the last decade - Brad Pitt.  This was bound to be a great World War II movie, following a unique squad of US soldiers trying to kill as many Nazi soldiers as possible.

The trailers were great, portraying Pitt's character as a real mean bastard that was looking for his scalps.  These helped build up the excitement and the anticipation grew.

Finally it arrived on DVD.  We don't get to the cinema that often, so we normally wait for the titles to be released on DVD.  It's much easier too.  You can just pause the movie, get coffee and snacks.

Excited, hoping for a movie similar to "Where Eagles Dare" with a Tarantino twist, I quickly started the movie.  The first 10 minutes was a scene in the French country side, showing a farmer hiding Jews and how the Nazis tries to get him to reveal where they were hidden.  They succeed. They killed all the Jews and let one little girl escape.  So, the plot was already there.  The girl would obviously play an important role later in the movie.

Thereafter, the movie turns to shite.  It rarely shows the bastards or any of their dirty deeds. It  focuses mainly on other smaller groups of the resistance that are trying to kill Nazi leaders.  Most of the dialogue is either in French or German, which is no problem, but there were only few of Tarantino's classic bloody fight scenes - in fact, I only counted three.  Well below the Tarantino standard.

Poor screenplay and a lot less action than I expected.  So, you can imagine how surprised I was, when I saw the movie was nominated for an Oscar.  For what? The worst WWII movie in recent years? The crappiest foreign movie produced? Blimey, I'd rather watch "Legend" with Tom Cruise, than see the "Not-so glorious bastards" again.  I rarely turn off movies before the actually finish, but this one I did.

The trailers and movie poster, and the attention from the press, gave the movie a lot more credit than it was worth.  I wonder if Tarantino is getting old and soft.
- I have to admit, the bad guy in the movie (the Nazi officer) was well acted, a real bastard.  And, Pitt did a great job too - when he was on.