Beyond the Pale

I'm a big House of Dark Shadows fan and met Roger Davis recently, I was surprised to see that his last film outing was 1999's "Beyond the Pale" which I have to say threw me, because it's very different from the sort of thing Mr. Davis usually does. At least I was able to get a DVD version which had a behind the scenes featurette and a rare interview with Mr. Davis, who plays a slime ball movie producer to a T. Beyond the Pale overall wasn't a bad flick, I had issues with a couple of things, in particular the lead character's whiter than white personality, which was frustrating, I know that's how the character was written and the actor pulled it off, but are there really people like him out there!for ROGER DAVIS fans it's a must see.

Irishman Patrick Shaw (Patrick Clarke -- Anton) enters the U.S. illegally with his wayward friend Seamus O'Sullivan (Conn Horgan -- Gods & Generals). Landing in New York, the pair start out with dreams of striking it rich, but soon find themselves in dead-end jobs and drifting apart. As Seamus pursues various get rich quick schemes, the more cautious Patrick holds down a Janitor's job and plays good Samaritan to washed up alcoholic author Tom Finnegan (Malachy McCourt - Ash Wednesday).

Along the way, Patrick falls for fellow Dubliner Helen Graham (Beverley Elder) a struggling actress involved in a messy break up with the much older Jeffrey (Roger Davis -- Alias Smith & Jones) Everything comes to a head when Seamus turns to backroom gambling, Tom hits rock bottom and Jeffrey makes a vicious play to win Helen back.

Beyond the Pale is available on: http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-the-Pale/dp/B001PE6UZO

Good but it bothered me. Awakening my worst fears about love and friendship which I already need meds to suppress. The main character (Pat) is a freakin' doormat, always being stepped on. Didn't this guy ever hear that nice guys finish last? He has that Joe Buck (Midnight Cowboy) mentality You feel like slapping him and saying "Wake up boy, ya ain't in Ireland anymore, you're in the big city, and the big city is for people with big dreams" His Hustler friend (Seamus) has the right idea, taking what you can get, as fast as you can get it. They should re-title this film Saints and Sinners.

Overall, I enjoyed the film, good performances from the cast, good direction, beautiful images. Also look out for Roger Davis (Jeffrey)that actor from Dark Shadows, he is one creepy dude. He's so good playing the villain you feel like strangling him at films' end. The film is very true and honest. I've lived in an Irish area my entire life and some of my closest friends are illegals dealing with the same issues as Pat and Shea. It's a damn shame, damn depressing, but a damn good film.

I saw "Beyond the Pale" at the Houston International Film Festival. Before the screening the filmmakers, Patrick Clarke, Jack Alvino and George Bazala made a presentation speech. Also in attendence, was the movies lead actress, Beverley Elder and Oscar winning actor Cliff Robertson. "Beyond the Pale" was presented with the award for best feature in Drama. It was a great experience for me because I'd gone to the movie theater to see Edward Nortons directorial debut and found a festival taking place. So we opted for "Beyond the Pale" because it was a European film (Irish to be exact), we were not to be dissapointed, what a charming jem it turned out to be. It reminded me of the old style Hollywood flicks, its a real character driven movie, not everyones cup of tea these days, thats why it was so refreshing. To cap this wonderful experience, I got to meet the filmmakers after the show. I recommend this movie for anyone tired of summer boxoffice fare.

Too many filmmakers take themselves too seriously, not the case with "Beyond the Pale", even though some elements of the movie are sentimental, the actors carry it off without the baggage normally associated with this genre. Malachy McCourt is a standout as Tom, a down on his luck alcoholic and Roger Davis is well cast as the conniving Jeffrey. The other members of the cast comprise of unknowns Beverley Elder, and Conn Horgan, whose performances are refreshingly energetic, their work is surprisingly devoid of the usual awful stage Irish-ness style of acting associated with most Irish films, in particular, recent horrid efforts such as "Ordinary Decent Criminal" "About Adam" and "The General". Valentina Olmos is not in the film long enough but still manages to steal the show as Conchita the Latino love interest of Seamus (Horgan). Malachy McCourt and Ruth Miller (Ms. Mooney) are well matched, it's rare these days to see the love story of old age pensioners unfold on screen; it was a joy to watch them. Most remarkable however is the thoroughly watch-able Patrick Clarke (Patrick) a throwback to the classic leading man in the Gregory Peck, Tyrone Power mould, Clarke gives an assured low key and unobtrusive performance and is surely one to watch for the future. Considering the low-budget nature of this film, Beyond the Pale is quite an accomplishment. 10 out of 10