Harry Brown, Crime thriller Anaylsis

We watched the opening to the film Harry Brown. Harry Brown is a crime thriller.
From watching the clip we were able to construct a clear understanding of the conventions for this particular sub genre. The first convention that we were introduced to was the image of a group of boys doing drugs. This is a convention of a crime thriller, as the audience are immediately introduced to a crime e.g drug taking. This is also a convention because in the majority of crime thrillers, we are introduced to the person, or people that are going to commit the crime. This convention is then developed as we see further crimes taking place on the estate such as the murder of the woman, who is walking with her baby. We can see first hand the brutality of the crime because we see it through the eyes of the murderers and we can also see the vulnerability of the woman. This is a common convention of a thriller as the narrative in this particular sequence in shown through the perception of the thugs, we can hear what they say to each other and we can also see what they see. We are then introduced to a voiceover of a newsreader. This is accompanied by a blank scene. the newsreader is reporting crimes that have taken place. This is a convention for a crime thriller because the crimes are made realistic and are realised by the audience because they are reported in a way as if they could happen. This shocks the audience into the realism of everyday life. After the crimes have been committed at different points in the film, the fast paced action is always followed by the introduction of the isolated character Harry. This is used in order to display the change in pace and makes the audience realise the severity of the crimes because of the drastic changes. We see the protagonist, Harry Brown, as a ordinary guy who is seeking answers such as defeating the youths in his community.

At the beginning of the film the first characters that we are introduced to is a gang of youths. They are displayed to the audience as a group of stereotypical, rough, chavs. The next character that we are introduced to is the protagonist, Harry Brown. We learn that Harry is a very lonely man. He lives on his own and he has to cope with the deaths of both his wife, Cath and his daughter. He lives on a rough estate and witnesses crimes which take place in his community. We learn that they is controversy between Harry and the youths. Another character that we are introduced to is Harry Browns best friend, Len. The first time he is seen is in the pub. We learn that Len is being harassed by the youths on the estate and he decides that he wants to do something about it.
The whole sequence at the beginning of the film is handheld camera work which is very fast paced. This a convention as the crimes that are being committed are all very fast. This creates a sense of realism for the audience. One editing technique that we see is the use of black scenes. After the murder of the young woman, the shot goes black and silence is introduced. This exaggerates the crime. This is typical of a thriller because it's very powerful to display a contrast between action and silence.