Triumphant feature debut with an extremely talented director - i pissed next to him in the urinals at my screening.

Nick Rowland's directorial debut is in many ways a classic debut crime film, but in it's subtlety, tone, and nuanced performances presents one of the most promising debuts of the year. It's somewhat anticlimactic finale that's shot with as much verve and stakes as the first fight sequence is proof that Rowland seems to have a knack for this visual storytelling thing. Cosmo Jarvis's character work was transformative. His final one take dialogue scene graduated not only his performance but him, onto a higher tier for me. He's an incredibly promising talent.

I can't wait to see their respective follow ups. Highly recommended! Michael Fassbender can produce a movie I like? Who knew?!

Fearlessly fierce, brilliantly brutal, Calm with Horses is an incredible directorial debut by Nick Rowland. Douglas is a flawed ex-boxer, torn between loyalties as the enforcer to the drug-dealing Devers family, and as the father to his autistic son. With a huge bruised heart, the protagonist navigates his orientation in the dark rural landscapes of Ireland, whilst on a perilous journey toward redemption.

Douglas's wild character and violent behaviours can only be tamed by the beautiful horses, which provide a temporary sense of peace and tranquility. The film is intriguing with a captivating storytelling, elevated with a standout stellar cast. The stunning and stylish cinematography captures the complex characters and their emotions. The music is simultaneously thrilling and melancholic, paving the road with soundscape so appealing to the body, heart and mind.

GFF20
2.35:1
Color 
Digital
15

Calm With Horses is an eye-opening and engaging drama with a stunning set of performances layered in a touching and poignant drama. 

95

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Nick Rowland's gangster drama is set in a small coastal town in Ireland. It features Cosmo Jarvis as an ex-boxer who works as an enforcer for a local crime family in order to pay for his autistic son's special schooling. However, he develops a crisis of conscience when he is called upon to carry out the execution of an elderly man.

It manipulates the heartstrings a little too blatantly for its own good but benefits from its quaintly authentic kitchen sink Irish backdrop and Jarvis's striking performance.

Didn’t quite land for me but good god Cosmo Jarvis and Niamh Algar are on another level

Decent little tale about Irish gangsters who look as grotty as the neds who hang around your local park!

The main guy was so convincing that I feel he is an actual meathead enforcer! 

Unfortunately the film totally loses its edge when some old widow turns up and spouts nice wisdom like a cliche machine.

THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE is tense, hard-hitting and superbly directed by Nick Rowland, all anchored by a strong & sincere performance from Cosmo Jarvis. Very impressive cinematography & tension despite a tired small-time crime drama story we’ve seen countless times before.

A confident, beautifully shot directorial debut. Loved the synth soundtrack! At times, it felt like a gritty Irish version of Drive. Cosmo Jarvis gives an outstanding performance. I was in tears for the final 15 minutes of the film. Seek this out, you won’t regret it!

"You deserve better."
"We all deserve better."

Muscular filmmaking with a brooding, bruising, physical performance from Cosmo Jarvis that reminded me very much of Matthias Schoenaerts' role in Bullhead. The story doesn't always develop in the ways expected and that's mostly for the better, and the simple, touching ending really couldn't have been pulled off any other way. Fantastic music score, and a strangely beguiling film.

Michael Fassbender’s short career as an executive producer has given us some of the strangest, most brutal films of the last decade. Slow West and Assassins Creed featured characters forced to participate in an endless cycle of violence, wether they be loners wandering the American West or cultists with historical trauma literally imprinted in their blood. Calm With Horses caps off this unlikely trilogy with an intimate West Ireland crime story anchored by Cosmo Jarvis’s performance as bruiser caught between the violent Devers family and his estranged wife and kid. Barry Kogen serves as Jarvis’s ‘devil on the shoulder,’ in a role that a stones throw away from his cat killing antics in Love/Hate. but Niamh Algar quietly steals the film as Jarvis’s former lover and opus of civility, while Nick Rowland’s expressionistic direction compliments this trio of performances.

hot men turning to crime to care for their children? yup im gonna cry

Calm with Horses (AKA The Shadow of Violence) is a sturdy character study of a young enforcer navigating choices in a shady corner of West Ireland. Cosmo Jarvis has seemingly come out of nowhere to deftly capture the role of this troubled ex-boxer caught between a family he loves and one that demands his loyalty. The movie is a competently directed morality tale demonstrating that crime really doesn’t pay and violence leads to more violence. It’s not particularly innovative, but its effective nonetheless in large part due to competence in both casting and behind the camera.

and a thank you to blank mass original score

I love a man with a thick neck. Cosmo Jarvis reminds me of another thick necked actor, Tom Hardy. I think in terms of thickness, Cosmo is thicker. Truly a stunning performance and I hope he starts getting the recognition he deserves, just like his fellow thicc boi Tom.

The stark beauty of the Irish countryside and the stark reality of life in many of these small towns. Superb acting, direction and writing. Not an easy watch at times as you just know there is no way out despite the hopes of the protagonists.

Unlike the obfuscatory nature of US-released title - "Shadow of Violence" -, the film's original name, in addition to being far more memorable, subtly captures Arm's struggle to retain his fragmented virtue that's on the brink of total annihilation. An all-around standout performances and Nick Rowland's delicate handling of the film's tone complemented wonderfully by a serene soundtrack makes it an immersive experience.

✅82%
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I'll admit that this was a truly fantastic suprise that does almost everything right in terms of filmmaking. Nick Rowland's shining direction manages to feel both intruiging and considerably remarkable in almost every way which makes for a fantastic viewing experience. This script is incredibly well thought out with well-written dialogue and showcases complex characters.

Cosmo Jarvis absolutely nails this role and gives one of the best performances of the year thus far. Barry Keoghan isn't quite as fantastic as Jarvis but still gives a remarkable performance nonetheless. Calm With Horses is a remarkably written and directed film with a phenomenally acted performance from Cosmo Jarvis, an incredibly well-executed story and a thoughtful sense of urgency.

🔙Radioactive
🔜The Tax Collector

This is a classic crime story about conflicting loyalties and hyper-masculinity. It feels like Scorsese. It’s a great debut from director Nick Rowland with a powerhouse performance by Cosmo Jarvis. Niamh Algar and Barry Keoghan are extremely good as well. The electronic score really drives everything home. Though the ending does feel a little anticlimactic, as a viewer I still felt satisfied because I knew I had just experienced a great new piece of Irish cinema that I feel like may have opened a door for more stories like it. 8.4/10.

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Compelling and unsettling, this gritty, rural gangster film has a lot of aces up it's sleeve.

I'm from a community that, on paper, is a lot like this setting, so I recognise this heightened, stylish tale is a fantasy that ignores a much more mundane reality, but aren't all good crime dramas that way?

That hyper-masculine glorification has always been my main sticking point with this genre, and I can't say I don't have the same issue here, but the subtle nods and layers woven in with the fantastic writing, arresting score, and bravura central performance left an emotional gut punch that's hard to deny.