The Front Line

I've watched some films this year really expecting, and hoping, they would be good. Some met my expectations, some exceeded them and some fell short. I had not heard of this film; but it was the most unexpected joy since Everything Is Illuminated (2005).

It succeeds on so many levels. As a thriller is gripped me from the first beat to the last. The characters were well-rounded, believable and performances, especially by Ebouaney, McSorley and N'Diaye were superb. Where had these actors come from? I to search IMDb to convince myself they were acting! I don't know much about Congolese politics, but the back story was completely believable and horrifying in equal measure. "Documentary" shots and montages worked well to reinforce this. And it made me want to learn more and reconsider my thoughts on the "problem" of "their" immigration. Whoever "they" may be.

In response to world events, some films in recent years have rightly focused on international politics, the communication between people within and between different nations. And Crash did very well, hence Babel, both of which I enjoyed.

But this film achieves more than what both of the above did and on a fraction of the budget! I'd never heard of David Gleeson, but his writing and direction was superb. I will definitely be renting the whole of his back catalogue - and buying this DVD. Please put lots of extras on it David! In summary, I was blown away by the performances of the actors, the detail and complexity of the script and the way in which the subject matter was handled. To come across such a film from left-field was a joy and a rare pleasure. I hope it reflects positively on the CV's of all involved and we see much more of them, as they deserve it.

Great job David and all involved.

What starts off looking like a routine action thriller about a bank heist gradually becomes something much more. Eriq Ebouaney is a security guard at a bank, whose family is kidnapped to force him to assist in the robbery.

The film is in many respects a revisiting of the John Wayne/John Ford classic The Searchers, in that the viewer gradually realizes that the ostensible plot (the bank robbery) is not really at the center of the film. Just as in The Searchers, where the film is really about Wayne's search to find his own humanity and not his niece who has been captured by the Comanches, so too in The Front Line, Ebouaney's pursuit to rescue his family is his search to find his own redemption as a human being. Over the course of the film, because of the fine performances and direction, we are drawn into Ebouaney's internal pain and love, and we almost want to say to him "Be at peace. Your soul is good." This is a remarkable and moving film. Successful on many levels. Ebouaney's performance is stunning. The plot, which begins as a bank robbery, becomes a story that is breathtakingly beautiful, powerful, and unforgettable.

When I read the storyline on the back of the cover I was sold and had to watch it. I mean it is an Irish film. We have seen some absolute peaches of films come out of Ireland recently. Think of Mickeybo & me, Inside I'm dancing, Garage, Adam & Paul etc... This is up there with them. In the beginning of the film the plot line is a bit thin and the movie is a slow mover but it gathers momentum and pace throughout until the bitter end of it. The acting is credible as is the developing interaction between its main characters. There was no point in the film after the first 20 minutes that I thought 'this can't ever happen'. A big round of congrats to the crew and actors for a thoroughly enjoyable film. And it makes you think and reflect on top of it all!!!

The Front Line marks a major watershed in Irish cinema. Addressing issues of immigration and the horrors of genocide in Africa in a contemporary thriller which plays out on the streets of Dublin, David Gleeson has raised the bar considerably for an Irish film.

The director's previous film, Cowboys and Angels, which he also wrote, stands as one of the best Irish films of the last decade. Deceptively simple and light in tone Gleeson addressed similar issues of alienation and broke new ground even then by moving away from the ponderous and the frankly dour image which Irish films hitherto presented of Ireland.

Although a very different film and working with a much larger budget, The Front Line is a more rewarding cinematic experience. Graced with a hypnotic central performance from Eriq Ebouaney the film grips from the opening set up in the Garda Immigration bureau.

Supporting cast are exceptional with outstanding turns from Fatou N'Diaye as Kala and Hakeem Kae Kazim as the sinister and hugely charismatic Erasmus. James Frain turns in a chilling performance as the scariest bad guy ever to roam the streets of Dublin. Patrick Cassidy's music also deserves particular praise.

I can't think of any other film with which to compare this. Perhaps Dirty Pretty Things comes closest but for emotional impact this is a far richer experience.

This isn't a bad attempt at an Irish crime movie. While James Frain hams it up as a baddie, Eric Ebouaney is very watchable as an asylum seeker looking to settle in the city. He is man with a secret just trying to get by and escape his past in the Congo. His wife and son arrive to be with him, but all is not what it seems. Taking a job as a security guard at a bank, he is soon in the thick of it, the victim of a from the headlines tiger kidnapping. When things go awry as they invariably do in this genre piece, there is hell to pay. Getting into bed with a gang of African racketeers – a first in an Irish film – the film subtly examines the plight of a refugee in an alien country, albeit against a heightened backdrop. The performances from Ebouaney and Hakeem Kae Kazim are good, though the Irish characters, particularly the police, are a little stiff. Camera-work is good and the soundtrack contemporary. The twist at the end is okay. Certainly an improvement on the director's first outing Cowboys and Angels. Warning: Brendan Gleeson is not in this film.