Amongst the Wolves

Excellent movie. A gripping Irish crime thriller which had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end! Great performance from Aidan Gillen as always. It was also refreshing to see some newer Irish talent on screen - overall a very well cast movie. The story line was powerful with some interesting twists. While the movie is packed with intense, action packed moments, it also features raw, emotionally charged performances that give the story real heart and depth. My favourite Irish movie in a long time! Particularly loved that it was filmed around Dublin. Would highly recommend giving it a watch.

I was bracing myself a bit, before going to see this, as I knew it was about an ex-soldier and his PTSD. So, I thought it'd be a difficult watch.

But, I was surprised by it. It wasn't just about the brutality & misery that people inflict on each other. Those things were there, but they served as a back drop to the humanity & compassion of Luke McQuillan's character, Danny.

Even though Danny has a lot of pain, sheer bad luck, and looks like no way to get out of it, he rises above it, to help the teenage Will. (played by Daniel Fee) It's that compassionate humanity of Danny that just can't stay silent and do nothing.

You spend the whole movie hoping against hope that they'll beat the odds. Rooting for Danny especially, as he's put so much on the line.

The cinema was silent throughout the movie - everyone else was holding their breath too.

Yes, it wasn't a perfect movie - after all, it's Indie, low budget etc, but, Luke McQuillan was sooooo powerful & magnetic on the screen, you just couldn't look away. The perfect hero - the strong guy who has a heart, & protects those who are weaker. But not a trope. His character revealed itself slowly. He was still, & in control of his emotions, but you could almost read them out loud from his face. Brilliant directing from Mark O'Connor.

And I loved that I was guessing, & wondering, & never had those disappointing 'I know exactly what's going to happen next' moments.

I think Daniel Fee has a bit of a way to go, but as a first time actor, he gave a good portrayal of the unsure & often stupid teenage Will. It's just that Luke McQuillan owned the screen, & as the viewer, that's where you wanted to keep returning. More of Luke McQuillan please!!!!!

Aidan Gillen is always a riveting watch. He plays the gangland boss, Power. There's one scene (not a spoiler) where he's simply eating chips / French fries, and he's absolutely terrifying and menacing.

Power is a 'strong man' character too, as Danny is, but not the kind of man anyone wants in their life.

Mark O'Connor's skill as a director makes these characters so believable. And the locations he films in are real Dublin - I know because I live here. Beautiful parts, good parts, but tough & dirty areas too. Just like those characters.

Go and see it, & watch something real. Unless you only like slick, big budget, movies showing nice & tidy stories!

As per the title, the acting was vastly amateurish (particularly the young main character) to go along with an old, done to death theme.

Obviously extremely cheaply made but it absolutely.

With this type of movie there should be a connection to the characters from the viewer but poor acting and direction made that impossible.

A lot of 10 ratings in the reviews, one can only assume they have come from people connected to the movie, or connected to the people who are connected to the movie. There is absolutely no way whatsoever that this is anywhere near the high marks.

Do yourself a favour and give this one a miss.

Let's just get this out of the way: Amongst the Wolves isn't just a film - it's a statement. A gut-level, uncompromising, razor-sharp howl from the underbelly of Irish crime cinema. And who brought that to the screen? Me. Mark O'Connor. The name you'll be whispering next to Scorsese before the decade's out.

I'm not here to play modest. That's for amateurs still begging for funding. I've carved my name into the granite of Irish filmmaking - not with safe, tidy little dramas, but with blistering stories that bleed. With Amongst the Wolves, I've taken everything I've learned - the street pulse of Between the Canals, the ruthless heart of Cardboard Gangsters - and I've weaponised it.

This film bites. It stalks. It rips the guts out of loyalty, brotherhood, and the myth of the "good lad" - and it does it with the kind of visual swagger and thematic depth that only a director at the very top of his game could pull off.

The cast? Savage. But don't get it twisted - they didn't just show up with talent. I dragged those performances out of them. I created an atmosphere so real, they stopped acting. Every grimace, every clenched jaw, every broken silence - that's me, behind the curtain, conducting chaos.

And look, people throw the "Scorsese" comparison around like confetti - but here's the truth: I didn't study Marty. I matched him. While he had New York gangsters, I've got Dublin wolves. My streets are colder. My characters bleed harder. My camera doesn't just follow - it hunts.

So go ahead, critics. Scramble for your adjectives. Call it gritty, raw, poetic, unflinching. But just know this: Amongst the Wolves didn't come out of a focus group. It came out of me. Out of my past, my rage, my obsession with truth. It's Irish cinema, unfiltered, and it roars with the voice of a director who knows exactly what he's doing - and where he's going.

I an going straight to the top.

• Mark O'Connor

(Writer. Director. Wolf. The Irish Scorsese, only hungrier.)

I've just seen this film in the cinema and it's one of the best indie films I've seen in 2025. It caught be off guard as I was not expecting it to be so powerful. The cinematography was breathtaking and really helped in showing the character's depths through certain frames and omissions. The directing by Mark O'Connor and acting were stellar, making it easy to be invested in Danny's story and his relationship with Will especially. It touches on important themes and is essentially a story about profound loss and represents a side of Dublin that often does not get represented. It's interesting how many different genres this film blends - thriller, family drama, action - and manages to switch between them to take an aspect from each one to make them all work together. Everyone should watch this film if they get a chance!