Calvary (2014 film)

Written and directed by John Michael McDonough, Calvary is the story in the week of a life of a priest who starts to feel doubt following a threat from an anonymous man. The film isn’t just an exploration about faith but also doubt where a priest contends with those in his parish mocking its ideas while he is trying to help his troubled daughter who has recovered from a suicide attempt. Starring Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Reilly, Domhnall Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Isaach de Bankole, Dylan Moran, and Aidan Gillen. Calvary is a mesmerizing yet riveting film from John Michael McDonough.

Set in an entire week in a small town in Ireland, the film revolves a priest who receives a threat during confession stating that he will be killed on the next Sunday for sins that other priests had done to him when he was a child. The film is a study into a man’s life on what could be his final week as he receives a visit from his daughter who is recovering from a suicide attempt while he does his duty as a priest. Along the way, he deals with locals whom he suspects is the one making this threat while certain events would happen wouldn’t just test his faith but also raise questions about his own duties as a man.

Even as the character of Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is trying to be a good man and do good for others while being aware that he is very flawed. That is part of the brilliance in the film’s screenplay that John Michael McDonough creates where it’s not just a character study but also a mystery where Father James ponders who wants him dead and if he could really help this person. There are also characters who do see Father James help such as a millionaire named Michael Fitzgerald (Dylan Moran) who is going through a crisis of his own despite the fact that he’s an unpleasant man. At the same time, Father James deals with other things in his small town that makes him question his own faith.

McDonough’s direction is very engaging for the way he opens the film with this static shot of Father James listening to a confession from the person who would ruin him for an entire week. It lasts for a few minutes in an entirely unbroken take as it plays into the sense of dread that would loom throughout the film. While it is largely a suspense-drama, McDonough manages to put in a few quirks as it relates to the world that Father James is in as there are characters he encounters who are either good or just those that are immoral. McDonough’s approach to framing with his usage of wide and medium shots, along with close-ups, play into Father James own sense of detachment from what is happening to him as he struggles to find meaning into his role with the world. Especially as it relates to his own daughter Fiona (Kelly Reilly) who is seeking help as she becomes a reason for Father James to do something good as he is also trying to repair their own relationship in what could be his final days. Overall, McDonough creates an intriguing yet compelling drama about a priest’s encounter with doubt.

Cinematographer Larry Smith does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography in capturing not just the Irish landscapes and mountains but also in some of the scenes set at night for some intricate lighting including the interiors at the pubs where many of the characters go to. Editor Chris Gill does nice work with the editing as it is quite straightforward with a few stylish cuts to play into the air of suspense. Production designer Mark Geraghty and art director Fiona Daly do brilliant work with the look of the church that Father James works at as well as some of the places including the pub where most of the characters frequent. Costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh does wonderful work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with the exception of the robes that Father James wears.

Visual effects supervisor Sheila Wickens does terrific work with the film‘s minimal visual effects for a dream sequence Father James would have involving his daughter as it plays into the events of what could be his last day. Sound editor Ian Wilson does superb work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as some sound effects for a few key scenes. The film’s music by Patrick Cassidy is amazing for its traditional-based Irish folk music along with some orchestral pieces to play into the drama while music supervisor Liz Gallacher brings in a soundtrack that doesn’t just feature traditional Irish folk music but also rock and blues music that Father James and some of the other characters listen to.

The casting by Jina Jay is fantastic as it features notable small performances from Domhnall Gleeson as a former pupil of Father James who is serving time for murder, Owen Sharp as a young boy named Leo, David McSavage as a bishop whom Father Jay turns to for guidance, Marie-Josee Croze as a Frenchwoman whose husband is critically injured from a car accident who turns to Father James for comfort, Killian Scott as a young man named Milo who is unsure of what to do with his life, Pat Shortt as a gay hustler who is having a thing with Father Leary, David Wilmot as Father James’ fellow priest Father Leary, Gary Lydon as a police inspector, and M. Emmet Walsh in a terrific performance as an American writer who is a friend of Father James. Other noteworthy small roles include Orla O’Rourke as the promiscuous Veronica who sleeps around with the men in the small town and Isaach de Bankole in a superb performance as the mechanic Simon.

Dylan Moran is brilliant as the self-loathing millionaire Michael Fitzgerald who tries to seek help from Father James only to display more of his own sense of hatred towards everything including the ideas of what money couldn’t buy. Aidan Gillen is excellent as an atheist doctor who likes to antagonize Father James with his views on the world in order to disprove the idea that God exists. Chris O’Dowd is amazing as the local butcher Jack who copes with his cheating wife Veronica while dealing with other things in the hopes he can find some answers with his own troubles. Kelly Reilly is remarkable as Father James’ daughter Fiona as a woman who is recovering from a suicide attempt as she seeks to try and repair her relationship with her father while watching him deal with his own sense of doubt. Finally, there’s Brendan Gleeson in a phenomenal performance as Father James as this priest who is dealing with a threat that would haunt him for the course of a week as he deals with doubt and other things that would shake his faith as it’s a very eerie yet powerful performance for Gleeson who is at the top of his game with this role.

Calvary is a sensational film from John Michael McDonough that features an incredible performance from Brendan Gleeson. Not only is it a captivating film about faith and doubt but also an eerie character study where a man whose job is to do good and help those is being shaken by dark forces around him. In the end, Calvary is a marvelous film from John Michael McDonough.

Related: The Guard

© thevoid99 2015

The Guard (2011 film)

Written and directed by John Michael McDonough, The Guard is the story of an eccentric Garda who teams up with a FBI agent to take on an international drug smuggling gang in Ireland. The film explores two different men with two different methods as they uncover murder and corruption where they become an unlikely team. Starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, Fionnula Flanagan, and Mark Strong. The Guard is an engaging and very whimsical black comedy from John Michael McDonough.

Despite not being a totally honest Garda, Sgt. Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) is still a man who manages to get the job done as he works with a new Garda from Dublin named McBride (Rory Keenan) to investigate a murder. Though Boyle’s unconventional tactics gets results done, he is considered by superiors to be too odd as Boyle is becoming concerned with the ailing health of his mother Eileen (Fionnula Flanagan). When a FBI agent named Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) is asked to lead an investigation over an international drug smuggling case, Boyle’s unintended racial remarks gets Everett’s attention where the two reluctantly teams up in the investigation.

When McBride goes missing as his Croatian wife Gabriela (Katarina Cas) asks Boyle for help, he makes a discovery about McBride’s car on his day off where he believes something isn’t right. Notably as Everett is going after a drug lord named Francis Sheehy-Skeffington (Liam Cunningham) and his British partner Clive Cornell (Mark Strong) along with their hired gun Liam O’Leary (David Wilmot). When Boyle has a meeting with Sheehy-Skeffington who tries to bribe him, Boyle makes a startling discovery about the police force realizing he’s got little allies to aid him. After discovering what happened to McBride as Everett has to return home, Boyle decides to take matters into own hands to fight off Sheehy-Skeffington and his gang.

The film is simply the story of a Garda and a FBI agent who team up to uncover a series of murders that involves an international drug smuggling gang in a small Irish district of Connemara Gaeltacht. While the idea of teaming up with a straight-laced FBI agent from Kenosha, Wisconsin who comes from a privilege background with a very strange Garda who likes to take a bit of drugs, do silly things, and sleep with hookers is a strange one. Writer/director John Michael McDonough some how makes it work because the character of Sgt. Gerry Boyle is a very unique character. Despite his vices and somewhat simple views on the world, Boyle is actually a guy who is a lot smarter than people think he is. He knows how to get an investigation going by his own instincts, he is a bit more honest with people, and can get the job done.

The fact that Boyle is also a flawed character makes him more endearing as he is someone who adores his mother as he’s trying to take care of her in a retirement center. Notably in one key scene where the two out to a pub to hear live music where Boyle admits that he’s not a good person but his mother prefers to pretend that he is. It is that key relationship that grounds Boyle as it would help him aid someone like Everett who is incorruptible and both realize that the people they’re facing isn’t just drug lords but also the people that is supposed to aid them in the investigation. Boyle may be a man with vices and a somewhat dishonest Garda but there’s some things he wouldn’t do because he knows it isn’t right.

McDonough’s direction is truly thrilling from the way he opens the film with four young men in a car driving fast and listening to hip-hop as they pass Boyle and crash while Boyle just simply watches the car pass by him and then drives to the scene. It is presented in such an understated manner where there isn’t a lot to tell as it just establishes who Boyle is while the rest of the film is a unique mix of a buddy-cop film with some quirky humor and some dark comedy that involves the drug smuggling gang. McDonough’s compositions are quite striking as he shoots them on location in Connemara and parts of Dublin to add to the world that Boyle knows. Overall, McDonough creates a well-crafted and enjoyable black comedy that is funny, suspenseful, and heartwarming.

Cinematographer Larry Smith does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the grey-colored look of the rainy exterior locations to some amazing evening shots as well as more stylish interiors for the places Boyle and Everett hang out at. Editor Chris Gill does excellent work with the editing to create unique rhythms for some of the film‘s violent moments along with stylish works in a few transitional jump-cuts to help the film move at a brisk pace. Production designer John Patrick Kelly and art director Lucy van Lonkhuyzen do brilliant work with the set pieces such as the pub that Boyle and Everett drink at as well as Boyle‘s home that is filled with all sorts of records and such.

Costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh does terrific work with the costumes from the uniforms that Boyle wears to the suits a lot of the men wear including Everett. Sound designer Niall Brady does wonderful work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the pubs as well the intimacy in some scenes such as O’Leary’s confrontation with Boyle. The film’s music by Calexico is a major highlight of the film as its Morricone-inspired score is filled with dazzling arrangements of Mariachi horns, trotting rhythms, and all sorts of playful themes to help intensify some of the film‘s suspenseful moments. Music supervisor Liz Gallacher does a superb job with the film’s soundtrack by creating a wide mix of musical styles that feature Irish folk music as well as pieces by N.E.R.D., Chet Baker, and John Denver.

The casting by Jina Jay is incredible for the ensemble that is created as there are some memorable small performances from Rory Keenan as Boyle’s new partner McBride, Michael Og Lane as the young bike rider Eugene who aids Boyle in finding evidence, Sarah Greene and Dominique McElligott as a couple of hookers Boyle likes to have fun with, Pat Shortt as an arms expert Boyle knows, and Gary Lydon as the chief inspector Gerry Stanton. David Wilmot is very good as the witty hitman Liam O’Leary while Katarina Cas is superb as McBride’s wife Gabriela. Fionnula Flanagan is a joy to watch as Gerry’s mother Eileen who always brings a lot of spark to her role in the way she curses and how she wants some drugs just to make the retirement home more fun. Liam Cunningham is great as crime boss Francis Sheehy-Skeffington who tries to keep things low while trying to bribe Boyle so trouble wouldn’t happen.

Mark Strong is excellent as the brutish Clive Cornell who is the only English character in the film as he tries to deal with all of the chaos that is happening while wanting to maintain a professionalism in the job. Don Cheadle is marvelous as the straight-laced FBI agent Wendell Everett who finds himself in a very different world while dealing with someone as unorthodox like Boyle as Cheadle does amazing work in playing the straight man to the Boyle character. Finally, there’s Brendan Gleeson in an outstanding performance as Sgt. Gerry Boyle where it’s easily a role that only he can play. There’s a great wit and charisma that Gleeson displays as well as something that is heartfelt in his scenes with Flanagan while the scenes with Cheadle has him being restrained in his approach to the humor. Gleeson is the star of the film and what a way he seizes the moment and creates a character that is as loveable as Gerry Boyle.

The Guard is a delightful black-comedy from John Michael McDonough that features a tour-de-force performance from Brendan Gleeson. Along with noteworthy supporting work from Don Cheadle, Mark Strong, Fionnula Flanagan, and Liam Cunningham. It’s a film that is truly entertaining that has a great visual style and story that is truly engaging to watch. Notably as it gives Brendan Gleeson the chance to headline a film where he succeeds in every way. In the end, The Guard is a remarkable and entertaining film from John Michael McDonough.

Related: Calvary

© thevoid99 2012