|
Savage
| Released |
17 September |
| Director |
Brendan Muldowney |
Starring
|
Darren Healy, Norah-Jane Noone |
| Writer |
Brendan Muldowney |
| Producer |
Conor Barry |
| Origin |
Ireland |
| Running Time |
83 minutes |
| Genre |
Thriller, drama |
| Rating |
18 |
|
|
Disturbing.
There is no doubting that this little country of ours has its problems. Be it corrupt politicians or religious divisions we've always had 'issues'. In recent years and predominately with the emergence of 'gang culture', new threats to everyday citizens are sadly regularly documented in our daily newspapers. One such threat is knife crime and its sometimes random and unprovoked nature. Brendan Muldowney’s latest film, Savage, takes a look –albeit a one dimensional look- at this epidemic sweeping modern Ireland, Dublin city to be precise, and delivers his message with such bluntness that by the time the final credits roll, you feel like you've been the victim of one brutal attack.
From the off this picture’s dark tone sets the mood. In its opening scene we witness two homeless men fighting on a Dublin street as our protagonist watches on. Said protagonist is Paul Graynor, a press photographer who becomes the victim of one 'savage' attack. We watch as he deals with all the emotions a victim goes through; fear, control, anger and finally revenge. None of it makes for easy viewing.
To give credit where credit is due, Darren Healy is excellent as Paul. As he progresses through the already mentioned 'victim’s stages', he maintains a steady evolution, showing great range as an actor. Nora-Jane Noone also stands out as Paul's love interest, although at times it's unclear why an outgoing woman like her would ever be attracted to the timid Paul. Sadly the supporting cast do little to complement the leads, most of whom wouldn't feel out of place on the streets of Carrickstown.
Unfortunately Savage has bigger issues than acting standards, most of which stem from a plot that is both predictable from the get go and hyperbolic in its depiction of a victims journey from fear to revenge. One scene of note is the build up to Paul's brutal attack. As he walks through Temple Bar the camera focuses on every clichéd drunk a stereotype exists for; stag party, hen party, boys with kebabs on their faces, women fighting, men fighting, people asleep on the street, people falling all over each other and so one and so forth. Fair enough all examples used are ones most people would be familiar with, but this is only one aspect of Irish night life. It's obvious that by the time this montage of drunks ends, Paul is heading for some serious trouble. And that's the problem, what happens Paul is completely desultory, but for the audience we know it's coming and hence its impact lessened. Unfortunately Brendan Muldowney compensates by making the attach a vicious and brutal act. In a way I shouldn't berate Muldowney for doing this, after all it's rare that these attacks aren't both brutal and vicious, and the realism he achieves is commendable, but be forewarned this doesn't make it any easier to watch.
What starts out as a brutally realistic look at the darker sides of modern Ireland, examining our drink culture and the extreme violence on our streets, slowly morphs into ridiculous torture porn that ultimately leaves you questioning what the whole point of the movie was. This could have been an apt portrayal of a victim's struggle to reshape his shattered life, instead you leave the cinema having witness a final scene that takes the term 'roid rage' to new levels of hyper-violence. Board Failte will be hoping Savage gets a limited release.
- David Prendergast |
