(Note: this capsule review is part of my farewell to the Netflix DVD service. #GetThroughMyQueue)
Yet another DVD I’ve been meaning to check out for ages. This black comedy is an absolute favorite of several indie filmmaker friends I know.
Now, I get why.
Being into smaller indie films will definitely aid your enjoyment of the film, as well as wanting humor that’s dry as a bone and peppered with profanity as punctuation in that archetypical Irish fashion. Brendan Gleason and Colin Farrell’s odd couple dynamic is wonderful which is what helps you get through some especially dark themes (and the viscerally ugly visual of the kid casualty is not something I’ll shake). They are flawed and quirky along with a whole host of other characters we meet in that quirky, indie fashion. Once Ralph Fiennes appears as the boss, things kick into high, bloody gear. Ciarán Hinds and Zeljko Ivanek are also great in some small roles.
If you’re into the Coen brothers films where they keep the comedy off kilter and the violence arch, you’ll like this. Hey, it even has Carter Burwell doing the score. Others may want to stay away. Four out of five stars.
