Pixie

Came across this quite by chance, and what a little gem of a film. Double crossing and more double crossing with Pixie manipulating everyone who crosses her path. Think Guy Richie on a low budget, that kind of story, but Irish instead of Cockneys. Well worth a watch if you like gangster flicks. I wouldn't rate it as a comedy, but the humour is there, and quite dark it is. It is what it is, a very enjoyable watch.

I sort of liked parts of this movie, and was a bit let down by the holes in it.

Olivia was breezy and cool but a lot of what happened to her seemed like good luck, but the film made it out to be clever calculation. I had to suspend quite a bit more disbelief than I was comfortable with.

There were some funny and clever plot points here. Colin Meaney's step dad character was nice, although he was playing a character we've seen him do a lot.

Not sure where they were going with the cross dressing forced bi thing but, it was mildly funny, and would have had more impact if it wasn't just some rudderless character inflicting herself on an admittedly already crooked world. 2 Wrongs don't make a right here either.

In-between the handful of clever plot ideas there were a lot of bog standard tropes and this is probably why this movie wasn't more successful. The holes really did drag it down and make it hard to root for anyone.

I really like a lot of the actors and components of this film but the whole was less than the sum of its parts and I left feeling conflicted.

I wanted to love it, but, it fell short of that.

Modern day Ireland. Pixie (Olivia Cooke) is out to avenge the death of her mother and start a new life - but when a botched drug heist threatens the truce between her gangster father (Colm Meaney) and church leader Father Hector (Alec Baldwin) she finds herself on the run with two strangers (Ben Hardy, Daryl McCormack) who are as eager to start a new life as she is.

Pixie Hardy (Olivia Cooke) is a smart, funny and manipulating tease. Exactly the kind of woman your mum would warn you away from (but also the kind she's secretly rooting for). Pixie is joined by hapless companions Frank (Ben Hardy) and Harland (Daryl McCormack) when the aftermath of a botched drug heist, involving Catholic priests, sees them thrust together introducing Alec Baldwin's shady Father Hector.

With the first half hour spent establishing the trio's characters (and teenage jokes) the film is in no rush to get going. More time is spent introducing the lead characters and setting up the uncomplicated plot (how to get rid of an absurd amount of drugs) rather than cutting to the chase.

Almost a hybrid of Snatch, Hot Fuzz and On the Road, this is a fun take on the classic road-trip film. The sense of adventure and threat of the story is balanced with an undercurrent of dark humour.

Whether panning across the countryside, rural areas of Sligo or the Irish coastline, the cinematography here is stunning. Great care has been taken to capture the feeling of isolation - the sights of Ireland's West Coast are truly beautiful.

With a cast of supporting characters and short cameos (Colm Meaney, Dylan Moran) this is a fun ride - But It's definitely Pixie's show and Olivia Cooke's mesmerising performance without a doubt carries this.

The best way to describe Pixie is it's an Irish comedy western .

It stars Olivia Cooke ( Pixie) ,who to avenge her mother's death , masterminds a heist with two lads , they flee across Ireland from gangsters, take on her father and nasty step brother and confront a bunch of psychopathic priests .

I have to say I was really disappointed with this . Considering it has Alec Baldwin , Ned Dennehy and Colm Meaney in it , I was expecting something with far more substance but instead , all I got was a ridiculously over the top , not very funny , comedy.

The best thing about the film is Olivia Cooke . Her character is clever and she users her charm to manipulate the two boys well but even that charm wears off after a a while for the viewer .

The climax of the film , in the church is utterly ridiculous . Director Barnaby Thompson tries to nurture his inner Tarantino but fails miserably I'm afraid , although it is interesting to see Alec Baldwin with a gun in his hand !

If you are considering watching this - Stop . Go find a film called Calm With Horses instead - Also set in Ireland but one hundred times better than this caper .

Pixie is a simply to follow film. The three lead actors give great performances. I'd not watched the trailers before going in so seeing Alec Baldwin was a pleasant surprise, however he is very underused, only showing up late on then returning for the finale. Olivia Cooke is great as Pixie, her Irish accent very rarely slipping. The film is very well directed, the only place is falls down is towards the end the characters begin to make silly decisions and it becomes very predictable. However this film flows along very well at 1 hour 33 minutes and supplies some good laughs here and there, as well as utilising the stunning scenery.