Barry Keoghan's new Irish gangster movie is getting some incredible early reviews

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The film is co-produced by none other than Michael Fassbender.

It is great to see Irish cinema going from strength to strength in recent years, getting more and more positive attention on the international film festival circuit.

And this continues to be the case with Calm With Horses, a new dark drama featuring some of the best of Ireland's young talent both in front of and behind the camera.

Set in the darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Arm (Cosmo Jarvis) has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic five-year-old son, Jack. Torn between these two families, Arm is asked to kill for the first time, and his attempt to do the right thing endangers everyone he holds dear.

The film also stars Barry Keoghan as Arm's tenuous best friend, who also happens to be the nephew of the leader of the Devers family gang, as well as Niamh Algar as Arm's ex-girlfriend, who takes care of their son and wants to move to another part of Ireland to have him placed in a special school.

The movie had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend, and the early reviews have been gushingly positive for both Jarvis' broken-soul lead and Keoghan's live-wire supporting turns.

"Director Nick Rowland couldn't ask for a more magnetically tormented character to anchor his low-key-to-a-fault feature debut, [as Jarvis is] the kind of guy who seems like his sweat glands overcompensate because he's always holding back tears." - The Hollywood Reporter

"As a statement of intent, it’s unequivocal: Rowland combines striking visual flair with razor-wire character studies. The film [is] drenched in a sense of place and clouded with simmering unease." - ScreenDaily

"Not that we need any additional proof that Keoghan is on another level and undoubtedly one to watch, but he excels in Calm With Horses in a way that broadens his own range while also enhancing the volatility of Douglas' situation, further keeping you on your toes." - Collider

"The result might not be unique in its narrative about a misunderstood man devoid of the means to get out of his own way, but Calm with Horses is stunning in its execution nonetheless." - The Film Stage

"Anyone who’s familiar with Barry Keoghan’s recent work probably doesn't need to be told why he's so great as an off the rails, simmering, young gangster archetype." - The Playlist

A full trailer for the movie has not yet been released, but Film4 have dropped this first clip, showing off an intense scene between Keoghan and Jarvis. You can watch that clip in full below.

Calm With Horses does not yet have an Irish release date, but it will be screened at the London Film Festival on Monday 7 October, and should arrive in cinemas in early 2020.

Clip via Film4

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