Film Review: The Shadow Of Violence

Based on a short story in Colin Barrett’s Young Skins collection, The Shadow Of Violence – previously titled Calm With Horses – follows an ex-boxer named Douglas (Cosmo Jarvis). He’s an ex-boxer because he accidentally killed someone, a moment that has put him in a path that further leans on his skills as a fighter. He works as an enforcer for the Devers family, led by Paudi (Ned Dennehy) and Hector (David Wilmot), who essentially run things in their grimy seaside Irish town. Within the Devers, Douglas manages to find a place where he accepted, like he is another member of the family.

However, Douglas does have a family of his own, even if the situation isn’t the most idyllic. He has an ex, Ursula (Niamh Algar), who he is on reasonably good terms with, and they have a young boy, Jack (Kiljan Moroney), who seems to be on the spectrum. Ursula wants to get him enrolled in a special school out of town, but is in need of money to pay for the fees. Meanwhile, Douglas’ friend, Dympna (Barry Keoghan), who is also Paudi and Hector’s nephew, gives Douglas an assignment that forces him to draw a line in the sand, he has to kill someone.

There is a brief opening narration from Douglas where he tells us “I’m told I was a violent child.” But it’s clear to us that he doesn’t want to be. He just so happens to be stuck in an environment where his violent tendencies are both encouraged and rewarded, even if it comes at the expense of his real relationships. When he finally takes a stand, it leads him down a path that puts a target on his back, alienating those who considered him family, all in an attempt to make things right for his son.

Jarvis is an incredibly strong lead here. Not only does he sell the imposing physicality of the character, but he also brings a warmth to the character that makes it so easy to endear ourselves to him. We see him make mistakes and questionable decisions, and watching that can be very frustrating, but it’s rooted in us wanting him to make things better for the ones he loves. Even though indulging in that kind of hope may seem like a pointless endeavor. Jarvis has mostly been in supporting roles up until this point, and he really eats up the role, finding the humanity in even the most grim circumstances.

The supporting players also make a really strong impression, and that’s largely because it’s devoid of any really recognizable stars, further immersing you into its world. Keoghan is easily the most recognizable of the bunch, but that further serves as a neat trick to get us into the mindset of Douglas, and his friendship with Dympna, which is more one-sided than he would like to think. We all know Keoghan is a great actor, this performance being no different, so like in the movie, Douglas also struggles to see past the superficial pleasures and support that Dympna provides.

The other scene stealer is Niamh Algar. In broody, masculine stories like this, a character like Ursula would usually fall into certain types, the perpetually angry killjoy always criticizing the lead, or the helpless woman, only there to serve as some kind of damsel in the third act. Ursula has far more depth and agency as a character. We see her as a tired but nurturing mother, we see her trying her best to see eye-to-eye with Douglas, and we briefly see how she tries to find moments of joy in the midst of all her struggles. In a way, she’s the film’s secret weapon, and her presence is the reason the film works as well as it does.

This isn’t to say The Shadow Of Violence does anything to necessarily transcend these kinds of bleak crime dramas about big, burly men with a heart of gold. It mostly does not, but the work put in by screenwriter, Joseph Murtagh, and director, Nick Rowland – both of whom are making their feature debut with this – is strong, assured, and appropriately atmospheric thanks in no small part to Piers McGrail’s dreary but beautiful cinematography, making strong use of the Irish countryside and Benjamin John Power’s somber and melancholic score. It’s not a film that will surprise you all that much, assuming you’ve seen similar stories like this before, but the craftsmanship and the strong performances manage to resonate because the filmmakers have a firm understanding of what makes stories like these so compelling and emotionally involving in the first place.

 

The Shadow Of Violence is now out theaters.