TrueJoshNight
Truly Dreadful Film
mraculeated
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Bob
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Billy Ollie
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
st-shot
After losing his wife to illness Donnelly boards a train and encounters three other people coping with recent loss. Two are appropriately grieving parents and one is a petty thug filled with ugly cynicism. The callous boy creates problems that Donnely attempts to soothe over but the boy seems dead set on self destruction. After not one but two extraordinary experiences on the train Donnelly arrives home intent on committing suicide. He starts by shooting his wife's beloved pet rabbit first.There is a lot to to like about Six Shooter before it implodes into a farrago of unsound logic and gratuitous violence. Brendon Gleeson as the glum Donnelly displays a touching world weary sadness while Ruaidhri Conroy as the angry young man is filled with chilling intensity. The cinematography is also commendable whether it's the the moodily lit interiors that lend to the general atmosphere or striking landscapes of the Irish countryside captured along the train ride. What doesn't wash even before the bloodbath on the train and the animal dismemberment before and after is the patience everyone shows for the loony Billy the Kid wanna be. Normal tolerance is expended beyond credibility early and director Mc Donagh deadens the pace as the boy becomes more and more outrageous. By the last stop all the subtle promise of the film's opening moments have been drowned in a sea of red.
siderite
I wanted to see this film because another movie directed and written by Martin McDonagh, In Bruges. That was one of those rare films that I rate highest and therefore I had to see this one.Maybe it's the high expectations, but it felt a bit boring to me. This guy loses his wife to some sickness, boards a train, all depressed, and has one of the most possible annoying days. The tension is palpable, all actors play really well and the ending is both a bit predictable as an idea, but surprising as the emotion it produces. Kind of like expecting to be treated with candy, but getting surprised by the taste of it.All in all a short film I can't rate. It has everything, but also nothing. For me, it stays in limbo, leaving me undecided.
bob the moo
Having just lost his wife, Donnelly boards a train through the Irish countryside to return home. He finds himself on a sparsely populated carriage with a young man who won't shut up and appears to be looking just to wind others up, and a couple grieving the lost of their baby from cot death. Within seconds of sitting down, the kid starts talking and soon gets tensions rising in the otherwise quite train carriage.Mere days after it took the Oscar for best short film I took the opportunity to watch this film on Channel 4. A testament to the ongoing work of Film Four, this is a darkly comic film that is bleak and depressing while still providing plenty of laughs. Often "dark comedy" means that a film is just rather film without being funny at all but rather just failing to be taken seriously. However with this film the material is both bleak and intentionally funny at the same time. The plot is exaggerated of course but the writing has enough familiarity to make it engaging and attainable. I can't really describe it very well but the humour is very Irish and I found it funny at the same time as enjoying the brooding nature of what was happening.As writer and director it must be said that McDonagh doesn't do much wrong; producing a great script but also making the film look very professional and washed out at the same time. The cast are all good. Gleeson is of course the star of the piece and he is convincing as he mourns his way through the film. Conroy is the driving force for the majority and is excellent, working with the script really well. He is funny as much as menacing and I couldn't stop watching him. Support from both Wilmot and O'Sullivan is good and a small role for Gleeson Jr is amusing.Overall a strong short film that is worthy of the bigger audience that the Oscar may bring. It is dark but still funny, enjoyable but yet brooding. The writing is very good and the cast all "get it", especially a nicely understated Gleeson and a scene stealing Conroy.
Willemite
A bit of fun for the black-hearted, very black-hearted. Death becomes them, all of them it seems, in one way or another. I am a fan of dark humor myself--Sweeney Todd and League of Gentlemen come to mind--but despite having a reasonably strong stomach, this film made me uncomfortable. Make no mistake, it is wonderfully crafted, with outstanding performances, top-notch production values, and a glorious punch line, but it might be a trial to keep your eyes on the screen until the final payoff.I caught this dainty in a showing of all the Oscar-nominated shorts, animated and live action. (and not, sadly, documentary) It is a shame that so few get to see quality short films of this sort. It might be a worthy enterprise for some bright person to market a DVD product line with sets of each year's nominees. Or work something out with Apple to make them down-loadable to digital devices of various sorts. It is a sad thing that we must endure advertisements prior to seeing features. Substituting short films of modest duration would add reel value to seeing films in a theatrical venue. Lord knows, it would be a good thing to provide a bit more justification for the hefty ticket prices.