Six Shooter

I, like most, haven't seen this film as short films very rarely get shown in a medium accessible to everyone that's the case in England at least. But I happen to know, by browsing through www.play.com, that there is a Region 2 DVD release scheduled for this film on 30th April 2006, this date, as in most cases, is subject to change but I for one will certainly be buying a copy of this award wining short. I think that we as consumers should be putting more pressure 'on the powers that be' to release more interesting shorts such as this. For instance the Oscar nominated animated short The Sandman directed by the late Paul Berry or the very popular animation by Daniel Greaves, Flatworld and many other such classics which for some unknown reason never get released. I hope that this film lives up to expectation so its DVD release can be justified. And then maybe one day other great shorts will follow it on to DVD.

As far as short films go, this is near the top of the list. McDonagh (formerly a playwright, here making his film debut) is a master craftsman, able to play several levels at the same time. "Six Shooter" is shocking, heartbreaking and very funny, often simultaneously. The story, in a nutshell, revolves around four people, each suffering a very recent death in their families. As they each deal with the loss in very different ways, they collide with each other, sometimes with words, sometimes with more.

The cast is uniformly excellent, especially Brendan Gleeson as the sad-eyed protagonist and Rúaidhrí Conroy as a ticking time-bomb of a kid. McDonagh's pitch-perfect writing - while not approaching the near-apocalyptic absurdity of plays like "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" - is appropriately bleak. His direction is also assured, showing him to be a filmmaker to watch in coming years.

"Six Shooter" is available on iTunes for two dollars. If you can, buy it. It's truly a great work of modern cinema.

I just found this flicking through channels and it turned out to be pretty good. seeing Brendan Gleeson kept my attention for the first few minutes, but the story is pretty shocking stuff. I liked the camera-work on the train which, despite it being filmed on a small Irish train carriage) doesn't make it feel cramped. The boys character in it is great. Even though i like Gleeson, it's Ruadhri Conroy's character that kept me watching more than anyone else. It manages to pack in a fair few unexpected turns into its half hour length, and some of it made me surprised it was aired at all. The only other guy i recognized (of the cast of about 5) was David Wilmot from intermission. Anyway for a debut this is very good and it's worth seeing. Hopefully he'll be doing something else soon

McDonagh is a brilliant story teller and fully deserves his Tony nominations and his Olivier Award for Best Play (The Pillowman). His critics have questioned his use of casual cruelty as a dramatic device, although he always grounds violence in a social context or connects sadism to particular characters' proclivities. This film is beautifully acted by Brendon Gleeson and especially Rúaidhrí Conroy, sharply photographed, and well directed by McDonagh himself. For technique alone it is Oscar-worthy. But the whole piece strikes me as an absurdist joke with insufficient resonance. This is a mélange of destructions, an indulgence in violence that reduces and parodies McDonagh's better scripts.

Martin McDonagh is a very unorthodox director, his very Irish dark sense of humor comes across strongly throughout his films. This has often lead to them having mixed reviews on account of the fact that people judge them to be exploiting violence. Indeed McDonaghs works often contain controversial themes and content. This particularly comes across in his litary works (for example the pillow man). McDonagues theatrical influence comes across strongly in Six Shooter.It manages to successfully make use of a very simple dark plot with not a hint of cliché or Hollywood improbability.The film manages to coherently string together a strong and conclusive story through its short running time without noticeably rushing character development or background. Six shooter generally maintains a somber mood which is occasional punctuated with spectacularly funny sequences. This creates a sense on contrast that pervades the work. And leads the audience to develop a sense of uncertainty throughout the film. Brendon Gleeson and Ruhadari Conroy both perform to perfection and feel completely at home it the films potentially claustrophobic setting. In conclusion this is a superb and bizarre film which will both amuse and shock you in a way that very few modern shorts can.