For his feature debut, writer/director John Michael McDonagh delivered the supremely dark and funny The Guard, which featured one of Brendan Gleeson's best performances as Sergeant Jerry Boyle. Gleeson is back in the lead role for McDonagh's follow up, Calvary, playing Father James Lavelle, a character who is Boyle's opposite in every way. The film itself is also the polar opposite to The Guard, with more of a heavy dramatic tone peppered with humour so black, it's almost Obsidian.
The only good man in a village of spiteful degenerates who delight in taunting him at every turn, Lavelle fruitlessly spends his days trying to find and coax out some good in his parishioners. You get the feeling he's a broken man already from the opening shot of his face staring off into the distance during confession, but soon he is sent even lower when threatened with death, given only a week to get his affairs in order. It's quite a premise, one that will strike a chord with everyone in the audience, especially given the assailant's (known to Lavelle, but a complete mystery to us) motive. Working from his own sharp and smartly written script, McDonagh constructs a beautifully shot and moving character drama, one that will enthrall you from the opening, sobering line. Not concerned with the whodunit aspect of the plot (though some will want to examine the clues to the identity of the would be killer), Calvary follows Lavelle's daily life, going about his job, and dealing with the constant scorn and jibes aimed his way. The script is full of wonderful dialogue and exchanges, and a richly written cast of characters, though some fall victim to being nothing more than over the top caricatures. There is a dark cloud hanging over Calvary for much of its runtime, one that can make you uneasy, and the darkness only builds as we get closer to Lavelle's date with destiny. But as hard as it may feel to watch at times, it's alway compelling, right up to the tragic final scene.
Gleeson knocks it out of the park in the lead role, playing Levelle with an anger just bubbling under the surface, barely restrained by his Roman collar. As the story progresses, complexity after complexity is added to his character, which makes him that more endearing, and the way he is treated by the village that more heartbreaking. Gleeson also has the right handle on the scripts droll humour, his delivery flawless. A whole host of famous Irish faces, including Pat Shortt, Dylan Moran, Chris O'Dowd, and Aidan Gillen, populate the supporting cast, most of them playing against type as truly despicable characters, with all of them having a ball, Gillen especially, with a psychotic grin plastered across his face at all times.
This is dark as they come, which might come as a shock to some people seeing this off the back of The Guard, but Calvary is a wonderful film, anchored by a strong script, and a flawless lead performance.
The only good man in a village of spiteful degenerates who delight in taunting him at every turn, Lavelle fruitlessly spends his days trying to find and coax out some good in his parishioners. You get the feeling he's a broken man already from the opening shot of his face staring off into the distance during confession, but soon he is sent even lower when threatened with death, given only a week to get his affairs in order. It's quite a premise, one that will strike a chord with everyone in the audience, especially given the assailant's (known to Lavelle, but a complete mystery to us) motive. Working from his own sharp and smartly written script, McDonagh constructs a beautifully shot and moving character drama, one that will enthrall you from the opening, sobering line. Not concerned with the whodunit aspect of the plot (though some will want to examine the clues to the identity of the would be killer), Calvary follows Lavelle's daily life, going about his job, and dealing with the constant scorn and jibes aimed his way. The script is full of wonderful dialogue and exchanges, and a richly written cast of characters, though some fall victim to being nothing more than over the top caricatures. There is a dark cloud hanging over Calvary for much of its runtime, one that can make you uneasy, and the darkness only builds as we get closer to Lavelle's date with destiny. But as hard as it may feel to watch at times, it's alway compelling, right up to the tragic final scene.
Gleeson knocks it out of the park in the lead role, playing Levelle with an anger just bubbling under the surface, barely restrained by his Roman collar. As the story progresses, complexity after complexity is added to his character, which makes him that more endearing, and the way he is treated by the village that more heartbreaking. Gleeson also has the right handle on the scripts droll humour, his delivery flawless. A whole host of famous Irish faces, including Pat Shortt, Dylan Moran, Chris O'Dowd, and Aidan Gillen, populate the supporting cast, most of them playing against type as truly despicable characters, with all of them having a ball, Gillen especially, with a psychotic grin plastered across his face at all times.
This is dark as they come, which might come as a shock to some people seeing this off the back of The Guard, but Calvary is a wonderful film, anchored by a strong script, and a flawless lead performance.
