Which Brown?

Michael Caine's new film Harry Brown is set for general release this Wednesday. It is a revenge movie however, according to Caine himself, it is a revenge tale with the shiny edge of the silver screen removed. It demonstrates how violence does not always satisfy misery and torment. This is Get Carter realised.

Caine for PM?

A very true and noble message, if it is in fact that, and one rarely delivered on the medium of cinema. Although, with that in hand, purely for entertainment's sake I do love a good old revenge flick, it makes you feel just grand! Revenge movies are uplifting because for one moment it makes you believe that there is such a thing as karma and that once you've slaughtered your oppressor or abuser and left them as a bloody corpse on the ceramic tiled floor, that you will truly feel free.

In Harry Brown the titular character played by Caine avenges his friend's death by killing the yobs in the local estate who are responsible. It is nice, it simplifies the world to a place where there are good and bad people and those who are bad are wholly evil to the bottom of their rotting, putrid hearts. For evidence of this see Inglourious Basterds, a film which gleefully tars every Nazi (and German) with the same brush.

But sometimes in real life we hear about or see such rancid behaviour that the "Basterd" comes out in us. For example, on The Andrew Marr Show this morning there was a brave young soldier, Mr. Weston, who had lost three limbs whilst trying to defuse a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He told Marr that since he had been back he had been heckled in the high street by some youths for only having one arm. Now what is your gut reaction? Gordon Brown or Harry Brown?

I know what I think would be a suitable solution: take said people and send them a nice friendly letter informing them that they have been conscripted to compulsory service for the British army. Three and half thousand miles later we can drop them in the middle of the worst minefields in the Kandahar province, 'This minefield stretches twenty miles in every direction from your current position. You have some cooling spray and a pair of pliers, get to it!' The stiflingly hot sun of the Afghan desert would be ablast on their backs, who said revenge was a dish best served cold?

Yet this is all fantasy isn't it? We can't do that to fellow British citizens - can we? A slight slip of the tongue would mean near certain death. I am sure the young ruffians would be sorry and take back their horrific comments but they would be dead ten minutes later so it would not be of much good to them.

Some would disagree, some would think Harry Brown would do a better job as PM than Gordon. Whilst I think many people could do a better job than Gordon (including Sir Michael Caine himself) I think we need to keep our hands on our heads and really think. Vengeance feels great in books and on screen but we must remember that in real life revenge is like Super Noodles; when you are hungry it looks like the best option because it is quick and easy, but really it is a dish best left on the side to cool down for a few minutes before realising it does not taste that good at all.