Review of Calvary (2014) by Peter F — 13 Oct 2014

For John Michael McDonagh's sophomore feature, the Irish filmmaker has made a more dense and philosophical film than his debut (The amusing yet slight film, The Guard), yet one that also has his finger-prints very visible.

While a portrait on the struggles that the modern-day holy man must go through, Calvery avoids being preachy by having us find sympathy in a character that's so admirable in his dedication towards his faith.

In his second collaboration with McDonagh, Brenden Gleeson gives another brilliant performance, giving one knock-out scene after another as he consults with the film's large cast of characters, who range from colorful, to disturbing, to somewhere in between.

Certainly propelled by a story, but the film is also best taking in through it's thematic material and humanistic approach to human interaction, not unlike the work of Mike Leigh. It really is satisfying to see McDonagh mature so much as a film maker with just two features under his belt.