Bring Them Down: Review

2nd November 2024

Bring Them Down: Review. By Simon Thompson.

Writer/director Christopher Andrew’s debut Bring Them Down is a dark, taut, and claustrophobic thriller that I would describe, tonally, as a cross between John Michael Mcdonaugh’s Calvary and a pastoral No Country For Old Men. From the opening scene alone, Bring Them Down drags you into its atmosphere and doesn’t allow the audience any breathing room at all, with the many scenes depicting the quiet stillness of the film’s rural setting acting as a foreboding set-up for the horrific events lurking right around the corner.

The plot of Bring Them Down focuses on Michael (Christopher Abbott), a sheep farmer juggling the responsibilities of running the family farm and looking after his ill and curmudgeonly father Ray (Colm Meaney). On top of these day to day responsibilities, Michael is also keeping a dark secret from his past, which, thanks to a family feud with neighbouring farmer Gary (Paul Ready) and his son Jack (Barry Keoghan), Michael is now forced to confront.

The acting in this movie is absolutely superb, especially from the lead, Christopher Abbott, in his performance as Michael. I was genuinely shocked to discover that Abbott is American, because his Irish accent didn’t sound out of place at all when paired with those of the rest of the cast. In his performance Abbott completely captures both Michael’s weariness and also his anger, which lurks under the surface ready to spring out at any time.

Colm Meaney and Barry Keoghan are both extremely well cast in their individual parts, and giving the high quality performances you’d expect from actors of their calibre. Meaney in particular is fantastic as Ray, using his ability to play spitefully miserable characters to its full potential, allowing the audience both to loathe, yet also feel sorry for Ray at the same time. Keoghan, on the other hand, adds another lovable screw-up to his back catalogue in his empathetic portrayal of Jack, a teenager from an extremely dysfunctional home caught in the middle of a feud that he’d like nothing to do with.

Andrew’s direction is accomplished and understated especially for a first time filmmaker, his use of close ups, Ozu style pillow shots of the film’s setting, and the way that he plays with the contrast of day and night, all show a level of skill that is beyond what you’d typically expect in a debut.

Bring Them Down is a nearly pitch-black drama boosted by a strong cast, a solid script, and fundamentally sound directing. If you’re into crime-family drama and want something a little bit off the beaten track, then this might just be the movie for you.

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