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Calm with Horses

2019

Nick Rowland

Barry Keoghan, Niamh Algar, Ned Dennehy, Cosmo Jarvis ...

5.5

563

Drama In darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic five-year-old son, Jack. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.

	Author	Review
United States	Keith Uhlich The Hollywood Reporter	"It's not much you haven't seen before — essentially Mean Streets transposed to a sleepy, economically depressed town by the Irish seaside (...) the dramatic stakes feel rather low and play out"	NEU
United States	Dennis Harvey Variety	"A gritty crime drama (...) If the overall narrative arc is less than inspired, however, the milieu and personalities depicted do have real character"	POS
United Kingdom	Wendy Ide Screendaily	"The film, drenched in a sense of place and clouded with simmering unease, should appeal to the audience which responded enthusiastically to Michael Pearce’s Beast"	POS
United States	Perri Nemiroff Collider	"The movie kicks off strong (...) Nick Rowland elegantly explores the escalating predicament [the protagonist] is in"	POS
United States	Andrew Bundy The Playlist	"Sadly, despite its best intentions, “Calm With Horses”— the directorial debut of BBC director Nick Rowland — comes off as a try-hard Ken Loach movie packed with elements of a stylish crime flick"	NEU
United Kingdom	Damon Wise The Times	"It’s a soulful showcase for Jarvis (...) and the film is an impressive calling card for Rowland (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Ireland	Aoife O'Neill Film Ireland	"Irish viewers, I think, will enjoy this thriller (...) The isolation and judgement one feels is shown particularly well"	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Barry Keoghan and Cosmo Jarvis shine in an unflinching underworld tale with flashes of real poignancy (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Ian Freer Empire	"'Calm With Horses' never finds a successful balance between character and genre tropes but creates an effective mood and a strong showcase for [its] rising stars (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Helen O'Hara Time Out	"A claustrophobic, inspired and layered crime drama (...) Lots of elements of the story feel familiar, but they play out in unusual and unpredictable ways here (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Rosie Fletcher Den of Geek	"It’s technically impressive, boasting extraordinary performances (...) Rowland and his cast and crew prove themselves as exciting voices absolutely worth watching out for (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"	POS
Ireland	Deirdre Molumby entertainment.ie	"It’s a taut movie and an enjoyable, albeit gloomy, watch that treads familiar ground but still feels authentic (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"	POS
Ireland	Donald Clarke Irish Times	"Barry Keoghan shines in a poorly plotted Irish film (...) Full marks for character and setting. Less enthusiastic hurrahs for narrative arc (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU

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