Top 10 Irish Films

Hon. Mention: In Bruges

I hestitate to put it on the list because technically it's not an Irish film, it's just about two Irish hitmen, but gosh what a fantastic pair of Irish hitmen they are. See the film.

10. The Boxer

A wonderfully small-scale, quietly charming and very understated (I mean even Brian Cox tones it down here) film like most of the films on this list, this is the first and not the last, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jim Sheridan collaboration that will appear on this list. A very simple story about a former IRA member (Day-Lewis), out of prison after a 14-year stint, trying to adjust back to life on the outside through starting a boxing club and rekindling a romance with a former sweetheart (Emily Watson). The romance is interestingly enough not really the main focus, it's there but the excellent performances of Watson and Day-Lewis means that it's always quite nicely, sweetly Rocky-esque rather than melodramatic, and there's other little elements to the Irish life that are rendered so vividly through Sheridan's directorial eye. It's a thoroughly engaging watch throughout and though the ending might lack a bit of punch, I can't fault it too much as it's very satisfying.

9. The Quiet Man

I might not love this film as much as many seem to, but I can't deny that it's an absolute blast of entertainment from the always-solid pairing of John Ford and John Wayne. Another low-key drama, this time with much more a comical bent, featuring Wayne as another boxer, this time of the American variety, returning back to a small Irish town to revisit his roots. Technically speaking he has a very dark secret to hide but the film doesn't dwell too much on it except in select, effective dramatic moments. Mostly however it's just a fun little look into one quirky and very, very endearing Irish community, from the potential love interest in the form of Maureen O'Hara (wonderfully sassy in the right degree), Victor McLaglen doing his boisterous OTT routine with great aplomb as her drunkard brother, and the likes of Ward Bond, Francis Ford, Arthur Shields and especially Barry Fitzgerald adding so much to the rest of the supporting players.

8. Calvary

A re-watch of this fairly recently improve it a great deal for me. I still don't think it's quite perfect, it lags a bit in parts and the conclusion, I can see why it'd be divisive (though I loved it personally). Anyway, though, I certainly can't fault it for its ambition, and its execution of this deceptively epic tale of a priest (Brendan Gleeson) who, having been given a week to sort out his personal affairs by a parishioner at confession before the latter kills him, goes about the village dealing with both the affairs of others, and his own inner turmoil. The film has a pretty good ensemble, but in the end though, it is Brendan Gleeson's show, and boy does he deliver. I'm having a tough time deciding whether this is his greatest performance or not as he does so much within the potential limitations of being a purely good man, as he makes his interactions with all the townsfolk so beautifully soulful, poignant, even funny. I need to see more of the man's leading work, definitely.

7. Breakfast on Pluto

Lovely is the word I'd use to very pithily describe this film. It does exactly what it says on the tin with 'quirky Irish comedy about a transgender soul played by Cillian Murphy and his exploits across quirky Ireland', if that sounds like I'm making fun of the film, it's not. I really quite love this little Irish comedy for a great many reasons, one being that Murphy is just great in the lead role, he makes what could've potentially been a bit of a stereotype, offensive at that even, just such a well-rounded, lovable character. Past this great performance, the film is just stunning to look at visually, in particular any scene Bertie (Stephen Rea) performans his magic tricks, and the script is both wryly funny and quite moving in equal measure.

6. Ryan's Daughter

Another film about a small Irish community!! And directed by David Lean, yes, David Lean, he of the grand epics Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai, and Dr Zhivago. What many people forget is that alongside an aptitude for such grand works he was also a filmmaker with a deft touch for intimate human relations (see: Brief Encounter), and this is an intensely powerful example of that. A sort-of adaptation of Madame Bovary transplanted to County Kerry, Ireland, this story of a married Irish woman (Sarah Miles) who engages in an affair with a British officer (Christopher Jones) is marred slightly by the performance of Jones, who never seems very comfortable in any aspect of the role whether it be the depiction of his character's PTSD, or the romance with Miles. Past that however, everyone in the cast is near-perfection. Miles gives a splendid performance, playing both to her usual strengths of allure but also with a twist in showing a kind and selfless soul lurking beneath it, Robert Mitchum is surprisingly good at playing the kind-hearted, betrayed husband, Leo McKern as the titular Ryan is pretty great as are John Mills, and Barry Foster all adding a great deal in their supporting turns as fellow Irishmen. The script is great, the scenery is amazing, the score by Maurice Jarre is sublime as always, but the greatest element of the film by far is one of my favourite actors, Trevor Howard, giving an astoundingly inspired, incredible turn as the county priest who exemplifies the toughest sort of love imaginable, and who stays in my mind all the more with every viewing of the film.

5. In the Name of the Father

The second Day-Lewis/Sheridan collaboration on this list, and a film that really hits me in all the right places and the more I think about it, the more I'm seriously considering putting it as my 1993 Best Picture winner, yes over The Remains of the Day, Gettysburg and Schindler's List. Well, okay, maybe not as those films are probably more immaculately flawless than this film which still does have some minor faults here and there, but where it succeeds, in particular in the scenes with Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his father (Pete Postlethwaite). It tells the real-life case of the Guildford Four incredibly well, and does well enough in maintaining just enough pacing throughout. Really I think I need to re-watch this to comment more, but rest assured that I can recommend it solely on the basis of its emotional power alone.

4. Brooklyn

I've begun to realise that a great many people don't seem to have taken to this simple love story as much as I have, even though they recognise its technical excellence, as well as the unquestionable brilliance of Saoirse Ronan's marvellous lead performance, they think it's too simple a tale, too unsubstantial with style over substance, well all I can say is I wholeheartedly disagree. It does annoy me a bit when people criticize films like this and say, Mad Max: Fury Road for their supposed 'simplicity'. Do films always need to have extraneously complex plotting or convoluted twists, or hidden darker sides to characters, no they don't, in Mad Max's case by just playing the characters as straightforward in their specific 'types' the film develops them so well. In Brooklyn our romantic triangle of Ronan's shy Irish girl coming out of her shell, Emory Cohen's ridiculously charming Italian-American nice guy, and Domhnall Gleeson's wonderfully gentlemanly rugby lad, are all simple characters, as are most of the supporting cast, but they never feel unrealistic. I hate when films feel the need to needlessly implant say, a darker side to a love interest, an edgier bad-boy vibe to him, a dark past of some sort, something that makes him alluring through its enigmatic quality, with these two love interests and indeed, Ronan's Éilis, they're all lovable characters not because they're unrealistically perfect, but because they're just sweet. It's a sweet film and an incredibly moving story told in the most brilliant way, and I will defend the excellence of it to the very end.

Anyway, just realised I haven't really commented on what makes this a great Irish film. Well it's all about a young Irish woman, played by Saoirse Ronan, and her journey to and fro from Brooklyn back to her small little hometown in southeast Ireland, with romance and sweetness galore, and one of the greatest film endings in recent memory.

Watch it.

3. The Crying Game

The definition of a film that is so much more than what it's known for. People always know it for THE TWIST, which is well done, but personally what I find most fascinating about the film is how it mergest THE TWIST so seamlessly along it's discussion of politics, race, and morality. It's basically the story of an IRA soldier, Fergus (Stephen Rea) and his life-changing experience with firstly a British soldier (Forest Whittaker, dodgy accent but still very moving) and successively, the soldier's girlfriend (Jaye Davidson). Rea's performance in this is something to behold, as he plays such a listless, insignificant and quite frankly, normal man but infuses him with such nuanced depth that makes Fergus' transition from mindless soldier to a man following his heart and morals, incredibly moving. His performance drives the film from tone to tone, whether it be the deliciously malicious IRA plotting scenes where Miranda Richardson's deliciously evil Jude takes over, to the more tender and heartfelt scenes with Davidson. As an Irish film I love that Neil Jordan never really takes one side or the other in terms of the political spectrum, by humanising both sides of the conflict, even the very worst of our characters (Richardson's demonic Jude for instance) are revealed to be so fallibly human, and also I love the ending of the film, how it at the same time is so heartwarming and yet bittersweet. A film I am most annoyed how some people use as a punchline to jokes, or THE TWIST being the sole discussed factor, as it's so much more than that, it's a masterpiece.

2. My Left Foot

First off, it's incredible how in retrospect Daniel Day-Lewis was not the frontrunner for the Oscar back in 1989. Not that Tom Cruise was bad in Born on the Fourth of July or anything, in fact I thought he was rather good, as were the other nominees, but quite frankly I don't think I could quite justify anyone else winning that year besides Day-Lewis for his marvellous turn as Christy Brown, a man who suffered from celebral palsy which left him with movement contained to solely his left foot. It's probably the most technically brilliant performance of all-time as you never feel like Day-Lewis is acting out these ailments, it's almost uncomfortable to watch how vividly he brings them to life, but also all the facets of the fellow that made him what he was. It's tough to watch him because he's so good at first being this helpless, angry figure, and yet slowly but gradually bringing out the more endearing qualities without ever sugarcoating his portrayal. Rarely do we ever see an effective portrayal of physical handicaps onscreen; Day-Lewis brings not only this, but also goes beyond that through his intensely emotional and incredibly effective performance. There's more than just Day-Lewis to the film though, even though he's by far the best part of it. Ray McNally and Brenda Fricker are absolutely fantastic as Christy's parents, Hugh O'Connor is incredible at playing Christy in his younger years, Jim Sheridan's direction is at its finest and the film wonderfully never sugercoats the flaws of Christy as a man.

1. Odd Man Out

 

Quite possibly one of the most underrated films of all-time. I mean Carol Reed was an incredibly underrated director anyway, I know, I know The Third Man is universally loved and acclaimed and he won the Oscar for Oliver, but the rest of his filmography, from the brilliant Outcast of the Islands to the marvellously genius The Fallen Idol simply don't get the attention they deserve. And of course, Odd Man Out. How do I go about first describing the utter brilliance of this film. It's about yes, an odd man out, in the form of James Mason's IRA-like leader on the run from the authorities after a bungled robbery. But to diminish it to this is just overly simplistic, as though that's the central driving force of the film, it's so much more than that. It's a great character study, and for once not just on one character, Mason's Johnny McQueen gets plenty of focus in his slowly deteriorating physical and mental state which is heartbreakingly portrayed, but more importantly the focus also extends to how the search for this figure on the loose affects all the other inhabitants of the town. Kathleen Ryan is particularly amazing in an almost entirely reactive role as Johnny's lover, all manner of great British and Irish character actors like Robert Newton, William Hartnell and W.G. Fay are outstanding in their contrasting depictions of townsfolk who deal with Johnny, and F.J. McCormick as an opportunist-turned-good man has a wonderful little arc within the film. The film could've been bogged down by all these little subplots but it never feels such, it evokes such tension while also lacing it with some surprisingly surreal humour, the B&W cinematography gives the Irish town such startling beauty, the soaring score lends its intimacy some well-deserved grandeur, in short, it's a marvellous film, and my choice for the greatest Irish film of all-time (even if I've been told that most of the Ulster accents are a wee bit dodgy).