Calm with Horses

I watch the movie in the small Bulgarian cinema center. You feel inside the movie, feel the anger and despair of main characters. You feel the drama between a person reconnected from his ex and son. The acting is well done, emotionally involving and powerful. Recommend.

Cosmo Jarvis take a bow. Playing lead character Douglas (The Arm) he hits every note. His portrayal of a former boxer struggling to break free from the brutality of his past and present life is both captivating and heart wrenching. Set in rural Ireland, Douglas is used by local crime family the Devers as their enforcer, and while the punishment he dishes out to those unfortunate enough to have crossed them is savage, he is the real victim. Jarvis captures superbly the tortured soul of the main protagonist with a brooding and sensitive performance that deserves huge praise. Superb supporting roles from the brilliant Niamh Algar as his former wife trying to make a life for their autistic son and Barry Keoghan as his manipulative wannabe drug king pin. Throw in Ned Dennehy's performance as Paudie, a wretched local crime lord descending into madness, and the ensemble in complete. Cinematography is bleak and beautiful and the music is so in tune with the narrative that you forget it's there.

A great piece of gritty Irish cinema and my only gripe is that I feel there was room for another 20 minutes or so.

This was an intense and well-made crime drama with excellent performances. Barry Keoghan delivers as do the actors who play the diabolical uncles. There are a few spots that unnecessarily slow down the pacing, but overall this is relatively taut and impressive for a lower-budget indie. Nick Rowland's direction was spot on. This film is well worth taking a ride on.

Been a blessing because it kinda puts you off hearing the heavy Irish accents you have to really concentrate when listening at times it doesn't even sound like their speaking English. But once you get a handle on their cadence and comprehend Ireland's pronunciation the dialogue is pretty well written. The whole film is shot beautifully and the acting was superb a melancholy vibe persisted from start to finish. Not really disturbing or ominous but as you watch the anticipation builds tremendously because you know something tragic is bound to happen it gives you that feeling at any moment you'll see it explode. Oddly enough with everything in place the story sparks but never blowups. Not that nothing happens it does run it's course but it could of been so much more powerful at the end. I did enjoy watching and the score was phenomenal an early 90's late 80's vibe and sound. The film had a great msg. which means a lot so I would definitely recommend this film to checkout.

Really good story and the acting was great. Not so much a gangster flick, but there are definitely some violent moments. I couldn't help but feel for Arm.