Bad Day for the Cut

A black comedy thriller that works on multiple levels. Chris Baugh's feature debut very violent and dark yet never loses the comical touch which keeps the viewer close to the protagonist Donel, the middle-aged farmer whose revenge for the murder of his mom serves as an unravelling of the whole film. With such a premise the direction of the story could have gone to many places yet it stayed through the simple Donel all the while keeping it interesting. Without relying on too much character exposition scenes or monologues the film lets the events describe the characters yet retaining enough background for them to be effective.

Nigel o'Neill is terrific as the farmer, who takes revenge against those responsible for the death of his beloved mother.

It's hugely gritty, intense and of course has moments of violence, but it is laced with several moments of humour, which help to lighten up what could have been an overly grim film.

It's a good old fashioned tale of revenge, but there's a complex backstory, and some aspects which are perhaps very realistic, such as the forced prostitution.

Susan Lynch steals the show for me, Franky is definitely the most intriguing and bold character. Lynch plays the psycho incredibly well, dwarfing those around her.

Very enjoyable. 8/10

That's not even...... Yes it is.

This is a quirky action comedy thriller. A middle aged irish farmer, Donal still lives with his mum. One night assassins turns up at the farm and kill his mum. Donal is in the garage at the time and sees one of the assassins as he leaves but only before discovering what happened to mum in the house. Donal goes on a journey of revenge with a van and a 12 bore shotgun. The reason for the assassin unfolds as the movie progresses and it isn't fully revealed until very near the end. This adds to the suspense but it does bring with it some confusion. The inclusion of the comedy allows some, what would otherwise be implausible situations to arise and so lead to a more eventful and entertaining film. The movie is quite tense in parts and the bits of comedy don't spoil that. I was going to rate it at 6.5 but I'll round up to 7 for it's refreshing change to the usual Hollywood take on this genre. My rating 7/10 Recommended

This is one I discovered on Netflix a couple of nights ago. It's hard not to like it the characters are fleshed out well and the lead has an disarming manner about him that makes him almost like a reluctant hero albeit in full on revenge mode. I don't want to give anything away but if you know anything of life in Northern Ireland then you know why some aspects of this film just had to make you laugh or grin or grimace. The Irish are taskmasters at dark or 'gallows' humour. This is well directed and well observed and deserves your time.

Revenge thrillers are fairly common, so much so that when going into a new one the tendency is to lower your expectations given that most are pretty generic and samey. Well, I have to say that this Northern Irish effort is a cut above most of them. Its story is one that sounds pretty familiar. A farmer seeks bloody revenge against the criminals who murdered his mother one dark night. It's essentially a plot line that on the face of it sounds fairly typical but the way it is delivered to screen ensures that this is a film which stands out.

First off, the Northern Irish setting is a bonus right from the get-go. There aren't too many films made in this part of the world, so it gives things a fresher feel. Plus, the undercurrents of the Troubles are interwoven into the story as a background which ultimately informs the events in the present day. You could also find the tit-for-tat violence between the two parties here an analogy for the violence of the past in which one murder led to another and another. It is a film which combines its bloody thriller moments with a healthy dose of black comedy though. It's a balance it gets just right without ever sacrificing the seriousness of the main plot-line. Of additional benefit here is the acting performances of both Nigel O'Neill as the vigilante farmer and Susan Lynch as the unhinged crime boss. The former puts in a thoroughly engaging and sometimes funny performance as the sympathetic farmer out for retribution and answers, while the latter is very convincing as the dangerous psychotic behind events, it is also a nice change to have the crime boss a woman. The story has enough twists and turns to ensure it is always compelling and it ends very effectively also. In other words, this is an extremely good thriller which must be seen by more people.