In the years between 1845 and 1849 our country was decimated by famine. We lost 2 million people, a quarter of our population, half of them emigrating and half dying of starvation and disease. It's a subject every Irish person is taught about from a young age. It's in our blood. We're seeped in passed down memories of it. We wear it on our souls. In our names. It could be argued strongly that it was genocide but what it definitely was, was a tragedy on a massive scale. Huge swathes of our history, populace and culture were lost, rotted away, shipped off, never to be seen or heard again. Tomes have been written about it all. How it started, who was to blame (England), it's long lasting after effects. Every aspect of it. But there's never been a film made about it. It was too raw a nerve. Until now. Black 47 is a revenge thriller/western set during an Gorta Mór and it's really worth a watch.
Martin Feeney (James Frecheville) has come home from the war to Connemara and stumbles across a scene of devastation. His family is gone and his homestead is in ruins. What he sees enrages him and he sets out to get revenge on the English landlords evicting starving people from their homes and selling the grain from their mouths and the Irish who have turned on their own. When his actions gain notoriety an ex-soldier called Hannah (Hugo Weaving) who once fought beside him is sent to hunt him down.
This was tough stuff but I really really liked it. It's not exactly an enjoyable film as you can imagine but it had me hooked straight away. We never make films like this so this was something I've been looking forward to for months. And thankfully it didn't disappoint at all. The cast is superb, the accents are thankfully flawless, the story is gripping and the bursts of bloody action will make your knuckles white. It looks great too, the drab bleached out cinematography showing the decay, the desolation, the rot and the drawn faces perfectly but never hiding the stark beauty of our countryside.
It's an Irish story through and through. With a lot of genre films you could take the story and transplant it anywhere but not this one. It packs in so many cultural touchstones that it could only be set here. Taking the soup is a phrase you'd never again use in a jeering way after this. The use of the Irish language is done perfectly too. Interweaved into the dialogue in a way that would get your heart pumping especially when used in defiance against oppressors. I never thought hearing the language I despised in school would make me proud.
It's not the action film promised in the trailers but the brief flurries of it work because you're genuinely caught up in the story and you empathise with the lead character. James Frecheville as Feeney does fine work and thankfully he nails the accent and the Irish language. If you didn't know anything about him you'd be surprised to find out he's from Australia. His character and his stoicness bring to mind the lead character of film I've seen this one compared to the most; The Outlaw Josey Wales. It has a similar story alright but the tone and feel of it is a lot darker. There's been arguments online that this isn't a western. Nonsense. It's a man on horseback out for revenge against evil land owners. A storyline that's been a staple of the genre since day dot. Plus it's set in the West of Ireland. And the icing on the cake is the lead character's name. Martin Feeney. Also the name of arguably the most important director of Western movies, John Ford, originally John Martin Feeney. So there.
Speaking of darkness, it's not a black and white affair either. Yes, there's a clear good guy and bad guys but the shades of gray in between surprised me and add plenty of depth to a story that could be accused of being a bit thin. We like to blame the English for it all but some of our own played a part too. Moe Dunford is particularly nasty in a small part of an Irish enforcer who doesn't realise he's an English puppet while Stephen Rea as Coneelly the translator has fun as a man playing both sides and Barry Keoghan as a British soldier has an affecting moment when he realises that he isn't on the side of the angels as he'd been taught. Hannah is played by Hugo Weaving. It's probably the most traditional role in the film but he does well as he slowly throws off the murderous image we'd had of him at the start of the film and becomes human. A quiet moment between the leads in the dark of Connemara countryside is a nice respite from the chaos.
The downside. There's always one. The opening third is gripping in it's immediate rawness and the finish is a cracker but the middle section feels a bit static at times and I felt like it was due to director Lance Daly's decision to hold back on depicting the grimmer aspects of Feeney's revenge. We see the build up and the aftermath but at the climactic moments the scene cuts away to the group chasing him. It feels like we're missing out the release of the tension that gets built up, a much needed catharsis after the horrors of the first third of the film. It's a small thing that annoyed me but that might just be my bloodthirsty and patriotic side showing.
Go see this. It's getting a massive release this weekend and looks fantastic on the big screen. Equal parts history lesson and revenge fantasy and blended together it makes for a heady watch. Director Daly and writers Pierce Ryan and PJ Dillon have created something to be really proud of. It's going to sit proudly beside on my western shelf when it gets released on blu-ray.
Probably best to avoid talking to anyone English for 24 hrs or so after viewing though.
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