Revenge thrillers are fairly common, so much so that when going into a new one the tendency is to lower your expectations given that most are pretty generic and samey. Well, I have to say that this Northern Irish effort is a cut above most of them. Its story is one that sounds pretty familiar. A farmer seeks bloody revenge against the criminals who murdered his mother one dark night. It's essentially a plot line that on the face of it sounds fairly typical but the way it is delivered to screen ensures that this is a film which stands out.
First off, the Northern Irish setting is a bonus right from the get-go. There aren't too many films made in this part of the world, so it gives things a fresher feel. Plus, the undercurrents of the Troubles are interwoven into the story as a background which ultimately informs the events in the present day. You could also find the tit-for-tat violence between the two parties here an analogy for the violence of the past in which one murder led to another and another. It is a film which combines its bloody thriller moments with a healthy dose of black comedy though. It's a balance it gets just right without ever sacrificing the seriousness of the main plot-line. Of additional benefit here is the acting performances of both Nigel O'Neill as the vigilante farmer and Susan Lynch as the unhinged crime boss. The former puts in a thoroughly engaging and sometimes funny performance as the sympathetic farmer out for retribution and answers, while the latter is very convincing as the dangerous psychotic behind events, it is also a nice change to have the crime boss a woman. The story has enough twists and turns to ensure it is always compelling and it ends very effectively also. In other words, this is an extremely good thriller which must be seen by more people.
