Redemption of a Rogue

Dark humour, heartbreak and sadness. A wonderful handcrafted tale that is as far from Hollywood as you can get. I can't wait to see what Doherty does next.

A great script preformed by a brilliant cast. A Great look into rural Ireland and how no matter how long you go away for things never change but you can.

The low IMDB average rating is misleading. Not even sure how it was calculated as it has a lot of high scores (I calculated it myself based on ratings and percentages and I got an average of 6.62 - not 5.9. About 20% of voters gave it 10/10) The reviews are also quite positive.

This film is definitely not a comedy - dark or otherwise. It has the occasional giggle and tongue-in-cheek moments but it is dead serious and dark. It is not funny, but it is intriguing and entertaining.

It has quite a few religious references. A meditation about guilt, righteousness, the emptiness of organized religion, love, redemption and everything in between.

It is worth seeing as it is well constructed. At least the first 80% of it is very well done and keeps one interested and intrigued. In my opinion the ending was rushed and somewhat confusing.

Not for Hollywood-fare consumers.

This is a jet black, absurdist comedy that works surprisingly well.

I would say that 'deeply traumatised man' would be a more accurate than 'rogue'. For varying reasons Aaron Monaghan's character is an outsider. Some reasons are personal and traumatic, some are public and enormously petty. Either way he's not in a good place. When the first thing you do when returning to your home town is buy some rope to hang yourself with, it says something. It also says something that the shop keeper gives sensible suicidal advice.

The black comedy tone is continued with a throwaway gag about child abuse and a serious discussion about the best way to maim someone. This is not a film to be approached lightly, but in my opinion it is one that works.

A surreal, deadpan, stylised gem.

A truly original story based on biblical tales, so maybe not that original? But the interpretation is.

I couldn't fault the directing, every scene seems to be thought out to the nth degree with some very clever results and edits. I was hooked from the start and this film flew past, never a boring moment.

It's interesting that despite the low ratings every written review is highly positive. I figure that the low raters just don't have the intellect or attention span to understand a film without car chases and shoot outs or write anything at all?

The UK & Ireland have a wealth of excellent low budget Indie cinema, add this to the list. The soundtrack is also a plus, some very classy tracks are added at just the right time. Mostly folk/indie/blues, yet the momentary appearance of Can's Vitamin C, a personal favourite, had me singing along longer than the clip lasted.

Irish humour is definitely a thing, as this film proves. Would it be too much of a stretch to make this film a UN cultural site?

If you're thick as a rotten spud or think the pop charts are all there is, avoid. If you're not and don't, lap it up.