Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is a priest. Once driven to alcoholism by the death of his wife, he appears to have found solace in his vocation, living a peaceful existence with his dog in an apparently serene Irish coastal village.
Or at least that would be the case if the villagers ever left him alone. Chris O’Dowd’s local butcher, Jack, for example, has serious marital problems, his wife “sharing him with another man. Then there’s the local millionaire Michael, played by Dylan Moran. Prone to alcoholism and urinating on priceless Holbein portraits, he is just one of the village’s many eccentrics whose grievances range from sexual frustration to an elderly American man (M. Emmett Walsh) who wants Father James to shoot him to death
Things get more personal, however, when the priest’s daughter (Kelly Reilly) turns up after a suicide attempt and Father James soon finds himself and his church subject to a series of threats and outrights attacks from foes known and unknown.
Initially, it appears we might be in for a tale of whimsy and humour with the populace resembling the eccentric Craggy Islanders of Father Ted. But John Michael McDonagh (director of the similarly excellent The Guard, also starring Gleeson) makes it clear we’re in for a much darker adventure than that from the very first scene. There is humour here, yes. But all the characters seem deeply troubled, often by unspecified problems in their past.
Moran’s Michael clearly has serious problems, while some such as the doctor, played by Game of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen, seem to be positively evil. Although a genuinely good man himself, Father James soon faces the wrath of a very angry community reflecting an Ireland still scarred by the after effects of the numerous scandals concerning paedophile priests.
This is a superb film which as the excellent array of accompanying cast interviews demonstrates benefits from all the cast truly giving their all even to the tiniest role.
Overall Verdict: Another darkly humorous instant classic from the hugely talented John Michael McDonagh.
Special Features:
Cast Interviews
Reviewer: Chris Hallam