Review of I Went Down (1997) by Rory P — 24 Jun 2017

In retrospect the review below is a bit harsh. I'll give the film 3 and a half stars.

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This is a comedy crime, thing, set in midlands Ireland, starring Brendan Gleeson (of Harry Potter and 'in Bruges' fame.) It was made in the mid-nineties.

Its a departure from the typical Irish films of the time in that it doesn't make any attempt to be overtly 'Oirish' or try to bound itself up in some typical heavyhanded sense of Irish identity. its just a straightforward crime comedy thing, made wherever it was made.

The film is also different from the Irish homegrown films of the period in that its not total sh*t. Its pretty sophisticated actually.

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I Went Down is noticeably well written and acted, with the director bringing a nicely judged tone to the piece that is never too loud in its pretensions (you can sense a sliver of the hip tarantino-esque crime movies of the mid 90s permeating its vision.) Unfortunately the film is a bit too sparse for its own good.

Its actually a strange experience, as you enjoy the company of these characters (particularly Brendan Gleeson's Bubbles, who comes out with some great lines) but you also get kinda bored after a while.