Calvary (2014) Movie Review

If someone told you that they were going to kill you in one week because of the sins of someone else? Now what if you might know who that person is? This is the driving force behind Calvary, the latest from John Michael McDonough, the story of Father James Lavelle, a priest told in confession that he will be murdered in a week because of the pedophilia abuse given by another, now dead, priest. The problem is, it's told to him in confession, and he's not entirely sure if he can break that secrecy, or that he knows exactly who it is. And so we begin our journey in this incredibly dark humoured film.

Father James is a good man with darkness in his past, trying to do right by the people of his small Irish town. All around him, there is adultery, greed, and hatred, amongst many other vices. So when he is told that he will be killed in one week, off we go to figure out who it is, even though we're pretty sure he already knows. Add into that his daughter visiting from London, and we've got what should be a hilarious comedy from the makers of The Guard. Instead, we get a dark, introspective look at the evil inside all of us, and what it takes to control it. 

Brendan Gleeson is fantastic has become a commonplace expression, but it, nevertheless, rings wholeheartedly true here. The Irish actor has the look of a man at his wits end, desperately trying to understand his place among sin. His ability to make you believe in his own beliefs, yet harbour a deep sadness in his eyes is the work of a truly extraordinary actor, and one that I hope gets some more love at some point down the road.

The supporting cast is all excellent too. Chris O'Dowd, as a butcher whose wife is openly cheating on him, is great, as he's given some of the funnier dialogue, but also balances it out with a strong dramatic turn that will definitely get him some work down the road. Kelly Reilly is great as Father James' daughter, Fiona, Dylan Moran is great as a wealthy business man and Aiden Gillan is hilarious as a drug addicted local doctor. Domhall Gleeson, son of Brendan, is also great in a couple scenes as an inmate who ate the people he murdered.

What I was most surprised with in this movie was how dark and serious it got as The Guard, McDonaugh's previous film, was full of hilarity. And with his brother, Martin McDonaugh, who has done In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, there's always been an overtly comedic nature. However, the writing and feel of Calvary is somber, reflective and powerful. Ultimately, the film relies on the pairing of John Michael McDonaugh and Brendan Gleeson, who one again prove that they both deserve way more attention than they seem to get, and that their next film is something to definitely look forward to.

Grade: B+