Here's how British film critics have reacted to Irish famine drama Black 47

The revenge western has already set impressive records in Ireland.

Having made over €1 million at the Irish box office, Black 47 has joined the ranks of other Irish films such as The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Michael Collins and The Guard to pass this impressive milestone.

It also achieved the highest opening weekend for an Irish film in Ireland since John Crowley’s Oscar-nominated Brooklyn in 2015.

We're delighted to see that Lance Daly's film has turned out to be a huge home-grown success, and in the lead-up to the movie's release we had the opportunity to chat to the movie's writer and director as well as one of the movie's stars - the Irish legend Stephen Rea - about the drama.

In case you haven't seen the film yet, here's a brief synopsis.

1847, battle-hardened soldier Feeney (James Frecheville) deserts the British army to return home to Ireland, where he finds his country ravaged beyond recognition by the Great Famine.

When he discovers that his mother has died of starvation and his brother has been hanged by the British, something snaps, sending Feeney on a relentless quest to get even with the powers-that-be who have wronged both his family and his country.

There is only one man who can stop Feeney’s bloody crusade: disgraced British army veteran Hannah (Hugo Weaving), whose own loyalties may be more complex than they appear.

Given the subject matter, Irish audiences might be interested to see how the film has been received by film critics in the UK ahead of its release this week.

At present, Daly's film has a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 64% on the more reliable Metacritic.

It should be noted that these review-aggregator websites collate reviews from around the world, but with regards to specific UK publications, here's what they've been saying.

Empire - "Well-intentioned, timely and impressive in parts, the film ultimately falls between two stools; it is neither powerful searing historical drama with genre thrills nor a grindhouse payback flick set in an unusual period milieu.

Black 47 lacks the seriousness and rigour of other displaced Westerns like The Proposition and Sweet Country. But Lance Daly’s film is gripping enough to suggest Ireland’s tragic backstory is a frontier full of resonant riches." 3/5 stars

The Times - "It is disappointing that neither of the leads is Irish, though Feeney is played effectively by the cold-eyed Australian actor James Frecheville, and Jim Broadbent is wonderfully well-fed as Lord Kilmichael" 4/5 stars.

The Guardian - "Black 47 is a viscerally tough and uncompromisingly violent picture, something like an exploitation shocker at times, though with real insights.

The result of result of seeing the famine not as a sorrowful tragedy, but as a matter of criminal constitutional negligence, with colonial rulers creating a serf class of disenfranchised tenant farmers, whose product was exported and who were made dependent for subsistence on a single, blight-vulnerable strain of potato." 4/5 stars

Independent UK - "As a piece of social history, Black ’47 (set in the aftermath of the Irish famine of 1845) has its limitations.

As an Irish revenge western in the vein of Sam Peckinpah and Clint Eastwood, it is tremendous – a rousing, blood-spattered drama in which one Irishman holds the British colonialists to account for their wanton cruelty." 4/5 stars

The Scotsman - "Black 47 on the other hand wants to be the Irish Braveheart. Set against the backdrop of the potato famine and featuring Australian leads and an unashamedly biased view of history, the film manages to turn human tragedy into a gnarly action film."

Black 47 is currently available to watch in Irish cinemas.

Clip via WildCard Distribution