Inevitably, this feature-length debut for director Daniel Barber will be labelled a Death Wish for the noughties, though it has as much to say about social conditions in neglected inner-city areas as it does about Michael Caine's doddery dispenser of justice. Caine plays the title character, a 70-something ex-serviceman whose life on a run-down estate ruled by gangs of feral teenagers is thrown upside down when his best friend is murdered. Determined to see justice done, Harry then hobbles into gun-toting, death-dealing action. This gritty British revenge thriller is a shade melodramatic, especially in its portrayal of the gangs - if the kids suddenly sprouted horns, you would hardly be surprised. But Caine is surprisingly convincing as the septuagenarian avenger, even though it's a little uncomfortable to root for a vigilante, no matter what the justification for his actions. No doubt, fans of Gran Torino will not be complaining.

An elderly ex-serviceman and widower looks to avenge his best friend's murder by doling out his own form of justice.