I can see why Game of Thrones was shot in Ireland: the sheer variety of vistas and environments presents an ideal filming setting, and for nearly all types of production.
Who else would be better to explore this but a domestic director, cast and storyline, tackling home-grown gang tensions encroaching on the lives of normal people.
The headline duo of Cosmo Jarvis ("Arm", the enforcer) and Barry Keoghan ("Dympna", the son of the drug-pedalling kingpins) are brilliant, and Keoghan was actually the reason this film caught my eye. The surrounding cast are equally competent, and I was pleasantly surprised by this quality oozing elsewhere.
My waxing lyrical about the settings is not misguided - some of the scenes in more remote Ireland are perfect, an allegory for the hopelessness and desolation some of the characters feel at the same time. Shot selection is also paramount, and Calm with Horses uses the more claustrophobic settings well to build tension. One shot in particular, filmed at the druglord's farmhouse during some blustery weather, is cinematic gold.
Story-wise, this isn't going to blow you out of the water; a fairly standard premise, arc and character development awaits, and I would say this is the film's greatest fault.
However, clearly it was not produced without passion and feeling invested, and the end result is still a watchable (and above all, enjoyable) small-town film.
Who else would be better to explore this but a domestic director, cast and storyline, tackling home-grown gang tensions encroaching on the lives of normal people.
The headline duo of Cosmo Jarvis ("Arm", the enforcer) and Barry Keoghan ("Dympna", the son of the drug-pedalling kingpins) are brilliant, and Keoghan was actually the reason this film caught my eye. The surrounding cast are equally competent, and I was pleasantly surprised by this quality oozing elsewhere.
My waxing lyrical about the settings is not misguided - some of the scenes in more remote Ireland are perfect, an allegory for the hopelessness and desolation some of the characters feel at the same time. Shot selection is also paramount, and Calm with Horses uses the more claustrophobic settings well to build tension. One shot in particular, filmed at the druglord's farmhouse during some blustery weather, is cinematic gold.
Story-wise, this isn't going to blow you out of the water; a fairly standard premise, arc and character development awaits, and I would say this is the film's greatest fault.
However, clearly it was not produced without passion and feeling invested, and the end result is still a watchable (and above all, enjoyable) small-town film.