2009: Harry Brown

August 16, 2021

By AHNZ

The film Harry Brown (2009) was not as poignant as Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino (2008) but perhaps a better illustration of inter-generational the politics that Anarchist History of New Zealand must explore.

Both films are Realist Authurian films showing the Return of the King, back to set the world right (Realist because the King is old, wrinkly, and suffers from emphysematous.)

Dramatis Personae

Silent Generation: Michael Cain is Batman rather than Alfred. Or, at least he was in his younger days and in this film is again. Many years ago, when he met his wife, Harry locked away his Irish Republican Army Arse-Kicking-for-Her-Majesty ways. But the death of his wife and now his friend releases the old marine back into this world.

“You failed to maintain your weapon, son …” – Harry

Millennial: Feral drug-consuming, tattooed, uncouth, rutting, tribal, scumbags. Inheriting the world, turning it to hell on earth. They start the film with primitive rites then film themselves motorbike-torturing then gunning down a young mother pushing a pram in a public park.

In real life these London council estate Millennial thugs would be migrant dregs but the film doesn’t want to brave that particular fight. If it had, Harry Brown would be an action film sequel to Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech (1968.) Instead, all the feral thugs are played by white actors. This was probably a producer decision to change the script and avoid revenue-costly controversy. That casting choice keeps the film focus on inter-generational relations rather than race-relations.

Baby Boomer I: Police Chief Jorah Mormont (to use his Game of Thrones name) plays up to his attending cops and media to con them he is in control. Really he doesn’t want to know what’s going on or solve any problems with the rampaging Millennial Scumbags. In fact, his tactics incite a climactic riot but that’s OK because he can spin the media and blame the kids.

Baby Boomer II:- Crime Lord Davos (GoT name) seems to be a victimised bar owner who Harry trusts and wants to protect. Twist! He’s created the whole mess, he’s running the show, and the alpha Millennial answers to him! Betrays Harry. Turns out to have been hiding the thick Irish accent of Harry’s old enemy. Just as evil as Jorah but doesn’t wear a uniform.

Generation X: Detective Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) is bloody useless in dealing with the Millennial scourge. They spit on her, sexually abuse her, defy her and rebuff police interviews easily by saying ‘no comment’. Takes orders from Chief Jorah, tries to tell him what’s really going on; Doesn’t see through his Boomer con artistry. Out of her element in the riot, has to be rescued by Harry who is trained and capable in this element. Two minutes later Jodie X is lecturing Silent Cain on his misconceptions, “This isn’t Northern Ireland, Harry.”

Two more minutes later Lord Davos the Irishman and Millennial Alpha Scum have Jodie’s partner dead and herself 98% dead. Silent Generation Harry saves Jodie’s life and trained snipermen (off-camera male saviors, like Harry’s pals from back in the day) save his.

GenX Jodie called for the help but apart from that she’s been totally inept and downright insulting toward the man doing all the work here. She calls the environment an ‘estate’ which is a really corrupt euphemism, and offers ‘social services’ for the bereaved Harry which really goes to show why society has gone to hell this way.

Harry Brown is a film about a once great community shredded by internal conflict. Who is to blame? Millennial thugs, yes. Hand-wringing GenX Affirmative Action girl cops, yes. But only the criminal Boomers make all this possible.

The film shows two main enemies of society: The legal Boomer is a lying, spinning, political policeman out for his own profit and the criminal Boomer is a lying mastermind tearing his community apart for his own profit. The combined efforts of both Boomers, the warlord and the priest, are the root cause of society’s ills. Their children and grandchildren are powerless and baffled.

The generation has yet to come of age that can oppose the Boomer’s damage to society but what about a past generation? The GI Generation or the Civil War or Colonial Generations would deal in short order with their Boomer brats but, of course, they’re all dead and buried now. However, in 2009, it was just possible that an old-age Silent Generation warrior might still have enough left in his tank to clean up what had become of his society.

Harry Brown’s is a violent solution, the same one used by fellow old man Silent Generation soldier Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. Eastwood defeated the ethnic gangs transforming a decaying Detroit into a hell hole. So disgusted was Eastwood with the white Boomers and Millennial unworthys that he felt more kinship with Asian immigrants and gives his life protecting them and to them gives his most prized Ford Gran Torino. Eastwood’s solution offers hope for Western values by surrendering Western ethnicity as a write-off.

Cain’s film makes a bloody mess with no long-term solutions to the problems uncovered. Big violent shootouts are cathartic to an Honour Culture audience, which is what we were in 2009, so the mainstream film-goer didn’t ask for anything more than that.

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