Amongst the Wolves

Amongst the Wolves is a gut-punch of an Irish thriller that doesn't hold back. Luke McQuillan is straight-up incredible as Danny, a homeless ex-soldier battling PTSD and his demons on Dublin's rough streets. His quiet intensity carries the whole film-every glance and move feels so real. The story hooks you when Danny connects with Will, a teenager (Daniel Fee) tangled up with a brutal drug gang led by Power, played by Aidan Gillen, who's as chilling as you'd expect.

The film's raw and grounded, with Dublin's gritty corners practically a character on their own. The cinematography's stark, and the sparse soundtrack lets the emotions breathe. Yeah, it hits a few familiar crime drama notes, and the ending wraps up a bit too quick, but man, it's intense and gripping. McQuillan's performance is the heart of it-you feel his pain and fight. If you're into hard-hitting, character-driven stories that dive into the dark side without flinching, this one's a must. Really stuck with me. 8/10.

Let's just get this out of the way: Amongst the Wolves isn't just a film - it's a statement. A gut-level, uncompromising, razor-sharp howl from the underbelly of Irish crime cinema. And who brought that to the screen? Me. Mark O'Connor. The name you'll be whispering next to Scorsese before the decade's out.

I'm not here to play modest. That's for amateurs still begging for funding. I've carved my name into the granite of Irish filmmaking - not with safe, tidy little dramas, but with blistering stories that bleed. With Amongst the Wolves, I've taken everything I've learned - the street pulse of Between the Canals, the ruthless heart of Cardboard Gangsters - and I've weaponised it.

This film bites. It stalks. It rips the guts out of loyalty, brotherhood, and the myth of the "good lad" - and it does it with the kind of visual swagger and thematic depth that only a director at the very top of his game could pull off.

The cast? Savage. But don't get it twisted - they didn't just show up with talent. I dragged those performances out of them. I created an atmosphere so real, they stopped acting. Every grimace, every clenched jaw, every broken silence - that's me, behind the curtain, conducting chaos.

And look, people throw the "Scorsese" comparison around like confetti - but here's the truth: I didn't study Marty. I matched him. While he had New York gangsters, I've got Dublin wolves. My streets are colder. My characters bleed harder. My camera doesn't just follow - it hunts.

So go ahead, critics. Scramble for your adjectives. Call it gritty, raw, poetic, unflinching. But just know this: Amongst the Wolves didn't come out of a focus group. It came out of me. Out of my past, my rage, my obsession with truth. It's Irish cinema, unfiltered, and it roars with the voice of a director who knows exactly what he's doing - and where he's going.

I an going straight to the top.

• Mark O'Connor

(Writer. Director. Wolf. The Irish Scorsese, only hungrier.)

Decent story of a veteran dealing with PTSD, bad luck and bad people. This story has been told many times, rarely breaking new ground in the crime genre, only this felt more real than most. The low budget helps capture Dublin's grim urban landscapes with damp streets, dirty canals, dimly lit alleys that present a mood and create the right amount of tension. If you are entertained by depictions of urban despair and the gritty side of life and are not expecting a polished, high-budget thriller and you don't need a tidy happy ending you'll probably like it. If you're into happy sappy endings this definitely isn't it.

I've just seen this film in the cinema and it's one of the best indie films I've seen in 2025. It caught be off guard as I was not expecting it to be so powerful. The cinematography was breathtaking and really helped in showing the character's depths through certain frames and omissions. The directing by Mark O'Connor and acting were stellar, making it easy to be invested in Danny's story and his relationship with Will especially. It touches on important themes and is essentially a story about profound loss and represents a side of Dublin that often does not get represented. It's interesting how many different genres this film blends - thriller, family drama, action - and manages to switch between them to take an aspect from each one to make them all work together. Everyone should watch this film if they get a chance!

As per the title, the acting was vastly amateurish (particularly the young main character) to go along with an old, done to death theme.

Obviously extremely cheaply made but it absolutely.

With this type of movie there should be a connection to the characters from the viewer but poor acting and direction made that impossible.

A lot of 10 ratings in the reviews, one can only assume they have come from people connected to the movie, or connected to the people who are connected to the movie. There is absolutely no way whatsoever that this is anywhere near the high marks.

Do yourself a favour and give this one a miss.