The Courier

I hadn't seen this movie for years, where I thought it was a film that traveled light. Although it does have straight to video appeal, The Courier makes a good run of it, as a crime-revenge crusader tale, Dublin style. I felt this story needed a bit more topping, as a young courier (wide-eyed O'Loinsigh) a reformed drug addict, has a bit of a scrap on his bike, where he makes a surprising find, which pits him up against bad guy (Byrne, who I really liked here, as never really being a fan of the actor). An old, close friend/ addict of our courier, was getting pressure, from a hard as nails, dick (Bannen) while also just paying a small price, for getting interrogated, where Val (Byrne) kind of reeducated him, before suicide ensued. The Courier doesn't really rise above anything special, even in it's finale, where it's just a nice timepasser, it's attributes, Byrne and Bannen. Loved the opening track. That's the other thing. Surprised not to see Sting in this, either.

I first saw this film, when it first came out back in the 80's. Ireland was still very much a backwater in those days and Irish actors had yet to make it to the A list in Hollywood. So to see an Irish film on the big screen was a novelty. It wore off quickly, It still comes across as very amateur, some of it is still cringworthy. Sometimes it feels as if the actors are straight out of acting school despite having actors such as Gabriel Byrne, who in fairness carries off his character with aplomb and who was still very much a household name in those days. Back then I thought of it as mediocre, now this film is embarrassing. Interesting, only, for the views of preboom Dublin and the soundtrack.

I quite liked this film. Like Taffin it owes more the 50s B-western than anything else. As such it works fine for me: a straightforward told revenge story, lonesome hero, motorcycle instead of a horse. All in all the story is well told with some moderately surprising twists in the plot and there are some good action scenes in it as well. The acting is pretty good with a star lined cast of Irish actors. For me, the idea of transferring B-western motives into 80s Ireland worked fine. Of course at the time Ireland was a fairly novel setting for films in particular for action film. Pre-boom Dublin is a great scenery for a neo noir western. I think that the way the set up of organised crime is described is even fairly realistic. So 7/10 for good, gritty entertainment from the Emerald isle.