Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

LC:TR is a typical summer actioner, but unlike some of the other video game adaptations it at least makes an effort to reference its origins: the Manor, exotic locations, jumps that require crucial timing, puzzle solving and gun-play are all reminiscent of the games that inspired it.
Angelina Jolie isn't a dead ringer for Lara but she’s not too far removed either. Moreover, it was made before her arms got worryingly thin, so she’s believable as an action star.
It would've made sense to cast a British actress to play a British role, but that kind of logic is perhaps too much to ask of the suits that front the money for this kind of thing.

2 halves of the triangle out of 5

HARRY BROWN [2009]

Harry Brown is an intense, gritty British revenge film carried by Michael Caine in the title role.  Plot-wise, it's fairly predictable and offers no real surprises, however it's everything else in the film that captivates you from the very beginning.  The tension gets heavier and heavier, barely leaving the viewer any room to breathe, while Caine's subtly brilliant performance is complimented with an astonishing well-rounded out cast.  As dark and violent as the film gets, it packs an emotional punch that most revenge films seem to lack.  

4 Elephant & Castle's out of 5