Calm with Horses

Painful -not as in painful to watch, but in every other sense. This is a film of hurt. Destructive upbringings, hurt emotions, painful beatings, dysfunctional lives. A disturbing film. As someone else said, in the same league as Dead Man's Shoes. There's redemption here too, though. Well worth a watch.

First off the performance of Cosmo Jarvis is the stand out in this movie. He has a feel of Tom Hardy about him and I'd tip him for big things in the future.

I was a bit worried going in that there might be a language barrier as the Irish accent can get a bit thick but it wasn't a problem for me.

The story is pretty standard, a crime family taking retribution on a local miscreant but transplanting it from the streets of New York or LA to rural Ireland gives the movie a wild west feel. My only criticism is the ending is a little predictable, in fact all but inevitable. I would have liked to have had my expectations subverted in that respect.

Cosmo Jarvis take a bow. Playing lead character Douglas (The Arm) he hits every note. His portrayal of a former boxer struggling to break free from the brutality of his past and present life is both captivating and heart wrenching. Set in rural Ireland, Douglas is used by local crime family the Devers as their enforcer, and while the punishment he dishes out to those unfortunate enough to have crossed them is savage, he is the real victim. Jarvis captures superbly the tortured soul of the main protagonist with a brooding and sensitive performance that deserves huge praise. Superb supporting roles from the brilliant Niamh Algar as his former wife trying to make a life for their autistic son and Barry Keoghan as his manipulative wannabe drug king pin. Throw in Ned Dennehy's performance as Paudie, a wretched local crime lord descending into madness, and the ensemble in complete. Cinematography is bleak and beautiful and the music is so in tune with the narrative that you forget it's there.

A great piece of gritty Irish cinema and my only gripe is that I feel there was room for another 20 minutes or so.

This was an intense and well-made crime drama with excellent performances. Barry Keoghan delivers as do the actors who play the diabolical uncles. There are a few spots that unnecessarily slow down the pacing, but overall this is relatively taut and impressive for a lower-budget indie. Nick Rowland's direction was spot on. This film is well worth taking a ride on.

This film really comes together. It has a heartfelt message at it's core which I understood and felt, but it also has some excitement in it, which seems to be more rare in Irish dramas that I have been watching lately. The actors are very strong. Love that Irish actor Barry. Very interesting to watch him on screen. Enjoyable film. Good story.