The Shadow of Violence
Directed by:
Nick RowlandScreenplay:
Joe MurtaghCinematography:
Piers McGrailComposer:
Benjamin John PowerCast:
Barry Keoghan, Ned Dennehy, Anthony Welsh, Niamh Algar, David Wilmot, Simone Kirby, Cosmo Jarvis, Hazel Doupe, Róisín O'Neill, Ryan McParland, Ally Ni Chiarain (more)VOD (1)
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With his hulking physique and close-cropped cranium, retired pugilist Douglas "Arm" Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis) is an intimidating figure. His boxing days behind him and with few prospects to be sought in his depressed Irish seaside community, Arm is happy to be recruited into the Devers family drug business. Working as the right-hand man to Dympna (Barry Keoghan), eldest of the Devers offspring, Arm makes a menacing — and thus highly valued — enforcer. Underneath Arm's thuggish exterior, however, lies a disarming tenderness, especially when he's allowed to visit his five-year-old son Jack, who is on the autism spectrum. As tensions between Arm and Jack's mother begin to thaw, Arm sees a chance to prove himself as a parent. When the Devers give him a task that will test the limits of his loyalty, Arm is forced to reckon with what kind of man he really wants to be. (Toronto International Film Festival)
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A gritty crime drama set in rural Ireland, filmed not far from my place. The story centres on an ex-boxer and his partner (the excellent Barry Keoghan, from Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer), outsiders to society who deal with drugs. Trouble arises when their boss orders them to kill a man, something that will mark them irrevocably. A gritty film from a gritty setting that has drive, well-written characters, a chilling atmosphere, a dose of emotion and a necessary dose of violence. I was very satisfied. Story****, Action***, Humor>No, Violence***, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Suspense****. 7.5/10.
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Big heart and loyal skin. The first one gets into it, the second one provides support. An interesting oscillation between a social drama and a rustic gangster story emerging from the Irish wilderness. It heads in a predictable direction, but the level of violence in the finale is surprising. The weathered Dennehy, Jarvis’s bull-like neck, and Keoghan, who is traditionally on the receiving end, all carry it responsibly, but let’s admit that without Blanck Mass's electronics, the emotional pump would be running at half capacity.
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