The Young Offenders

Why can't there be more films like this? The Young Offenders has everything I would look for in a breakout piece: a unique storyline, a brilliant cast of unknown actors, a beautiful setting and effortlessly hilarious writing. There are definite elements of Guy Richie and Shane Meadows in this production and anyone who is tired of formulaic Hollywood bilge should appreciate it's originality.

Alex Murphy and Chris Walley lead the way with excellent debut performances. They can be a tad wooden at times, but this is overridden by their natural comic timing and ability to produce genuinely heart-warming moments. Hilary Rose bounces off them perfectly and deserves to go on to bigger and better things on the back of this.

The finale is possibly a bit overcooked but that would be my only real criticism of this film. One of the better low-profile movies I have seen in recent years, highly recommended.

Having recently been turned on to the BBC3 series, I noticed that the original film version is on Netflix at the moment, so decided to go back and watch that before digging further into the show.

Two teenage friends from Cork, Conor (Alex Murphy) and Jock (Chris Walley) head to the coast on stolen bikes, following a news report about a cocaine haul that was lost at sea and is washing up on a secluded beach. Despite being more adept at petty crimes, Conor and Jock see the cocaine as a way of making their fortunes. However, their repeated bike thefts have drawn the ire of Sergeant Healy (Dominic MacHale) who tracks the boys and follows them across the country.

"The Young Offenders" is a likable and funny movie. Though always willing to make a low brow joke about bodily functions or whatever, there's a depth and a wit - particularly to this movie version, that you might not anticipate. The boys are clearly slightly older than the characters that they are portraying, but their mannerisms, and the makeup and clothing choices, do help to sell the idea. They are also pretty fearless about what they are prepared to do for a laugh.

It's a road trip movie for the most part, and the film takes full advantage of its location to make the Irish coast look lovely. I saw one of the other reviewers use Guy Ritchie's films as a guidepost for this one, and that does make sense particularly at the ending. On the face of it, the conclusion is much more extreme than anything we've seen in the relatively gentle, relatively realistic preceding moments of the film. But in order to wrap up the various strands of the story, I'm willing to forgive it for the contrivance required.

Heart, laughs and scenery - it's a wonderful film.

This film tells the story of two teenage boys, who do not see much of their futures in their respective single parent families. One day, they hear about a big shipment of cocaine being washed ashore about 160km from where they live, they set off to find a bag of cocaine that will change their lives forever.

"The Young Offenders" is a surprisingly sweet film despite their teenage delinquencies. It tells Jock's dream of having a different life, and he acts upon it and pursue his chance of getting a new life. It is the American dream but located in Ireland. The other boy is very good natured deep in his heart, as we can see in more than one occasion in the film. The story is inspiring as well as funny, and there is quite a bit of thrill at the end too. I enjoyed it a lot.

This film is true to the essence of Cork and depicts its salt of the earth characters. Being from the city there was an extra layer of appreciation as a viewer: when the shipment was cast into the ocean a bale did go missing. I'm sure there were individuals who sought a fortune like the protagonists do in this film.

I was skeptical of watching the film as I was expecting it to be drawn out, filled with obvious one liners. I was happily surprised to discover I was wrong, the film creates two lovable rogue characters who are aware at times of their failings. No cheap jokes here, the dialogue was to the point without being obvious. I didn't expect the direction the film took, and am happy to see that the film is internationally well received, winning awards in LA, Texas and London.

If you are unsure, watch the movie trailer. Comedy gold with a tongue in cheek view, beautifully shot along West Cork. Don't take the characters as true representations of Corkonians, as this is a comedy. All aspects of this film are seamless: editing, dialogue, location, casting and soundtrack. Fantastic film, refreshingly not the typical Irish cinema most would expect from Ireland.

Really enjoyed this film. It's always good to see an Irish film that is not directly targeting an overseas audience. it's been made with genuine Irish actors, with accents from the counties where the film is made, adding to the feeling that this really is true to the story. The two main actors are brilliant and very believable. The viewer is not bogged down by morality even though there is a darker subtext it is shown in a light hearted way, and to add context to the story rather than just elicit sympathy. Having some insight into the background of the boys does give a good insight into why the boy would want to steal the drugs and their naïve plan is charming in its own way. Give this film a go.