Irish Crime

I Went Down is directed by Paddy Breathnach and written by Conor McPherson. It stars Peter McDonald, Brendan Gleeson, Tony Doyle and Peter Caffrey. Music is by Dario Marianelli and cinematography by Cian de Buitlear.

Fresh out of prison, Git Hynes (McDonald) runs into trouble with local mob boss Tom French (Doyle) and finds himself having to work off a debt to him. He's to accompany Bunny Kelly (Gleeson) to Cork and locate Frank Grogan (Caffrey) and bring him back to Dublin. There's some murky history at the core of this request, but for now Bunny and Git must survive each other and a host of life challenges before they begin to worry about Tom French's motives.

Hugely popular in Ireland for a number of years, this independent comedy/drama is finally starting to get noticed by a wider home viewing audience. Film takes a couple of likable rogues and sets them off on a topsy-turvy journey of peril and self discovery. So far so formulaic then. No question about it, plot is unadventurous and outcome is hardly in the realms of the twisty surprise. But dialogue and character interactions are sharp and vital, often cutting and witty. The actors are ever watchable (especially Gleeson and Caffrey), while the fact that the story focuses on a different Ireland to the one that's often tainted by "The Troubles", gives the film a freshness that off sets the standard buddy buddy road movie formula of the plot.

Director Breathnach goes for the slow burn approach, choosing to let McPherson's script dominate the picture. Yes there's some action, and good sequences flit in and out of the narrative, but the director is mostly about letting his characters breath, fully forming them with each passage of play during the guy's journey/mission. Even a sex scene is deftly slotted in and comes out as tasteful and a further expansion on the character of Git Hynes. It's thoughtful film making as regards being a character driven piece. There's a most interesting side issue involving the women in Git's and Bunny's lives, two men just about traversing the path on the wrong side of the law, both with gal trouble that gnaws away at their masculinity.

It's not the Irish Midnight Run, as I was personally led to believe it was, and any expectation of a violent fun fest will only lead to disappointment. But it has many virtues to make it a safe recommendation to those that enjoy crisp and intelligent dialogue and fully formed characterisations. Nice photography, too. 7/10

I Went Down is a gem of a movie. Although it has been fairly overlooked, it in my opinion is one of the best Irish movies to date. Before films like 'Lock, Stock...' and 'Intermission' made these colloquial crime-capers the fashion, this fast-paced, funny and thoroughly enjoyable action movie hit the big screens. Brendan Gleeson, as ever, is outstanding in his role as Bunny Kelly, but he's not on his own by any means. There are no other big names, but there is some very big performances. Much like the aforementioned 'Lock, stock...' the dialogue is what steals the show, but it's also well shot, and plot is great. I Went Down shouldn't be missed.

This was one of the best films I have seen in a while. Peter McDonald and Brendan Gleeson's chemistry together reminded me of much better known and consequently higher cost Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction.

The movie showed me that having the well known actors shouldn't make the movie. If they are good actors, the script will make the movie, and effectively promote the careers of the actors.

The script did an excellent job of portraying the relationships between the characters involved.

Again this was one of the best movies I have seen in a while.

I went to see this movie and was enjoying it, and then it came to the bit where they were rescuing the hostage from the house. Imagine my surprise when I realised that the house in question was in fact my own one!! My girlfriend and I had just bought it a month before and knew nothing about the fact that it was used as a location in the movie....the surrounding woodland on the property was also used for other scenes. Needless to say our attention was rivetted to the screen from then on, but that said, it was a very entertaining movie anyhow. I do however think you need to have a certain understanding of the Irish psyche and way of life to get full value from the hilarious script. Brendan Gleeson and Peter MacDonald both excellent, even if they did have a shoot-out at my kitchen door!!

When I saw this movie, and after I had stopped laughing, I realised that it wasn't a film which was going to travel well. As an Irishman, I've been somewhat disappointed with the recent spate of melodramatic and formulaic films that have been leaving our shores in recent years (i.e. Michael Collins). "I Went Down" is a refreshing release from this trend.

Having read the 'net reviews it seems my fears have been realised. This movie doesn't hold back when it comes to Irish accents, figures of speech and wit. I know I was falling off my seat at the behaviour of the characters, the "Black and Amber" pub and the meeting in the bog. I hope people see it for it was intended to be, an Irish movie, and not criticise it because it doesn't fit under the Hollywood model.

dave.