User Reviews

I liked. A very raw irish drama with strong moments and incredibly good images. The story was simple structed and was pretty basic but its based on true events and that makes it shocking. You have your unbeatable war hero who turns against those who actually praises him to be what he is and everything becomes messy. Then you have the police commissioner whose specialtiy is being a hunter who .. hunts him. But the historic truth behind it makes it extremely authentic. Director Lance Daly really successes in making it a believable drama and avoids every poor cliches to make it more cinematic. The acting worked as well. I really liked Hugo Weaving who shines in the leading role as the trouble commissioner who gets one last chance. James Frecheville delivers with a very silent but extremely raw performance, much in the tradition of Leonardo DiCaprio's Revenant turn. Good Supporting roles by Stephen Rea and especially Jim Broadbent who is in the second half of the movie but pretty much owns every scene he is in. Nice turn by newcomer Barry Keoghan was well.The cinematography was amazing, the scenery excellent (except for those painted village images, which were a bit irritating at times) . It has many shocking moments and some well edited action sequeces. A great mix that works most of the times. Good performances over all. Lovely irish music that adds a lot to the general mood. Very recommendable movie even if it had the one or other dry scene.

A great script, cast, acting, covering a great tale of injustice and violence. Incredible the amount of great Cinema that barely gets an airing in the UK. Historical events such as the Famine, Culloden, Easter Rising, Transportation, Glencoe Massacre, Tolpuddle martyrs, Peterloo and the Highland Clearances are stories that deserve telling. Instead the Big Budgets are left to fetishise WW2 again and again.

I'm not going to lie - I fully expected to hate Black '47. The trailer was awful, making it look like a generic action flick; several colleagues saw the screening at ADIFF and were decidedly unimpressed; I thought most of the film was in English, which rubbed me up the wrong way. Mainly though, I was just fulfilling my God-given right as an Irish person - being cankerous for no earthly reason whatsoever. However, because I was expecting to hate it, when I discovered that it's actually quite good, it led to me thoroughly enjoying it. Easily the most hyped and anticipated Irish film of the last decade or so, Black '47 is proudly advertised as the "first film about the Great Famine". And were this true, it would undoubtedly occupy a canonical place in Irish artistic output. However, there is one vital factor that everyone really needs to know before seeing it - it isn't the first film about the Famine. It's the first film set during the Famine, but it isn't about the Famine. Written by Lance Daly, P.J. Dillon, and Pierce Ryan, and directed by Daly, this is a genre film, a revenge western set against the backdrop of the Famine. The Famine is not the film's central theme, nor does it attempt to engage with it on a national scale. If you accept that, and don't expect to see Cecil Woodham-Smith transposed to the screen, there's actually quite a lot here to admire.

It is winter 1847, two years since blight caused the failure of the potato crop on which large portions of the country's poor depend. Having deserted from the British Army, Martin Feeney (James Frecheville) returns home to Connemara unaware of the state of the country. Travelling to his home, Feeney learns his immediate family is dead and his sister-in-law Ellie (Sarah Greene), and her three children are living in an abandoned cottage, Although Feeney persuades Ellie to join him in emigrating, the following day, an eviction party arrives with orders to eject the family and burn the property. Things soon turn violent, and Feeney is arrested, although he quickly escapes, and sets about exacting revenge those he feels wronged him. Meanwhile, learning of Feeney's escape, the British Army send a team after him, led by Feeney's former commander, the disillusioned Hannah (Hugo Weaving).

The Famine is the single most significant event in Irish history; a cataclysmic tragedy on a biblical scale. Between 1845 and 1852, around one-and-a-half million people died and nearly two million emigrated, reducing the populace by roughly 25% (1847 is known as "Black '47" because both the death and emigration rates were at their highest). The Irish language was laid to waste; the myths and sagas of Irish folklore were forgotten for decades; the proud tradition of Irish bards changed forever, with thousands of songs lost; Irish literature slowed down to a trickle; and hatred of the English occupiers became more galvanised than at any point in the previous 700 years of their presence.

Considering how important an event this is in Irish history, it is conspicuous by its absence from the national cinema. However, how does one fashion a narrative which could possibly convey the bleakness of the Famine? Maybe in this era of long-form narrative on TV, there's a possibility of doing something Famine-related, but condensing the most significant seven years in Irish history into a two (or three, or four) hour film is nigh-on impossible, not to mention the sheer unrelenting misery one would need to put on screen. And so, Black '47 has no intentions of dealing with the Famine on that kind of scale. This is a genre piece, it's a western, a revenge thriller.

Indeed, using the Famine as a backdrop for a genre exercise is probably a wise choice - it allows limited engagement by way of a plot-driven story, without setting up massive expectations (advertising hyperbole aside) and unconquerable thematic hurdles. No Famine narrative could ever depict a story in which a protagonist rights all the wrongs of Ireland, because no such person existed. However, the relatively contained story of Feeney's revenge is more than aware of that. He is never painted as someone out to liberate the country, spurred on by the wrongs done to him personally. He wants revenge on the people who wronged him; he has no aspirations of saving Ireland, and is powerless to do anything on a larger socio-economic canvas. The film never lets the audience forget this, whether it be shots of Feeney emotionlessly riding past starving peasants on the roadside, or his invasion of a Protestant soup tent, where he eats his own fill and then leaves. He's not the avenging spirit of Ireland made flesh, he's not Cú Chulainn, or one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. This is not a piece of nationalist wish fulfilment, and it makes no claim to be.

In terms of how the film represents the Famine, apart from its importance to the plot, Daly depicts a number of "quintessential Famine images". These include one of the first shots in the film, which shows a skull sinking into the wet mud, representing the dead and their connection to the land (a little on the nose, but it does the job); when Ellie first appears, she looks like Caitlín Ní Uallacháin, the implication being that Ireland itself is literally dying; when she and her children are evicted, the scene is very much an archetype of such evictions - women and children crying, men being restrained, the thatched roof of a cottage burning, callous bailiffs; a Catholic priest warning the starving peasants not to "take the soup"; peasants taking the soup; grain being stockpiled for export to England; bedraggled peasants huddled at the gates of an affluent estate, begging the rich occupants to give them food; multiple references to emigration. In point of fact, although the Famine is essentially just background, Daly works hard to make sure the viewer never forgets what's happening beyond the edges of the frame.

One of the reasons I thought I was going to hate Black '47 was because I thought it was entirely in English, which would have been patently ridiculous. Perhaps the most long-lasting effect of the Famine is that it decimated Gaeilge, the Irish language. The Famine is why this review is in English, and why I can speak only a few sentences in my native tongue. In seven years, the Famine did what the English couldn't manage in 700 - it destroyed that which defined us as a people, our very national identity. However, not only are large sections of Black '47 in Irish, the film actually uses the Irish language and the attempts to suppress it as an important recurring motif. For example, Feeney speaks both English and Irish, but he makes a conscious decision to only speak Irish, even when talking to non-Irish speakers. The film also shows a judge erupting in anger as peasants in his courtroom, unable to speak English, begin to converse in Irish, whilst an English lord refers to Gaeilge as "that aboriginal gibberish". However, the most important scene concerning the Irish language is in the Protestant soup kitchen. When the priest asks a peasant his name, the man replies "Séamus Ó Súilleabháin". The priest turns around to a translator, who responds, "James Sullivan". This speaks to the Anglicisation of Irish place names by the British (Béal an Átha became Ballina, Dún Dealgan became Dundalk, Trá Lí became Tralee, etc), itself an attempt to destroy the language and undermine our sense of place. Daly never allows the devastating effect the Famine had on the language to fade too far into the background, and the narrative is all the better for it.

Of course, all of this is not to say the film is perfect. Composer Brian Byrne's score, which features a heavy usage of uilleann pipes, is decent, but overly didactic. Additionally, the character of Lord Kilmichael (Jim Broadbent) is something of a clichéd, token villain. Daly also has a slight tendency to unsuccessfully mix naturalism with stylisation, perhaps most obvious in the use of intentionally artificial looking matte paintings as backgrounds in some of the panoramic scenes. Whilst the intention behind this was most likely to try to evoke the look of old sepia photographs, contemporary audiences used to photorealistic CGI will probably interpret it as cheap effects work, which is a shame, and does the film no favours. Finally, if there's one thing I was surprised that wasn't mentioned, especially given all the references to emigration, it would be the coffin ship, the image of which is a permanent component of the Famine's legacy in Ireland.

However, all things considered, this is a strong and reasonably important piece of filmmaking. Yes, it's essentially just a revenge western, and yes, in that sense, it's nothing overly special; there are a hundred films along these lines, and several of them are better than Black '47. However, Daly allows the Famine background to come to the fore sufficiently so that we never forget when and where we are, and because of this, it's undoubtedly an important film. Mixing the historical with the generic just enough so that each informs the other without either becoming (too) diluted, it's not the first "Famine film", but it is a very decent, honest, and respectful attempt to put something (anything) of that great tragedy on screen.

I went to see this expecting it to be the usual anti-English "begod and begorragh" Hollywood nonsense. It pleasantly surprised me. I heard it described as a "potato western" as opposed to a "spaghetti western" and that sort of describes it. A high plains drifter in the rains of Connemara avenging his slain family but with a difference. I wanted to criticise the Irish/ Gaelic used in it....but I couldn't. It was fluid and believable though I felt the lead actor James Frecheville's "Irish" was a bit too "good Dublin school" rather than natural Gaeltacht. What a surprise to learn he isn't Irish at all and that he learned Irish for the part !. Kudos. His accent in English completely fooled me.....I would have sworn he was Irish.....totally amazed to learn he's Australian ! The only bit I can criticise about this film is the "starving" peasentry looked a bit too well fed.....though some of the kids do look scrawny and the safety glass and door handle in the Pub door in the last scene is a bit of a continuity screw up.....other than that it's a stylish film well made and very believable.

This piece of the dark history about how the Ireland people was brutally treated by the British is like the Jewish Holocaust that have been repeatedly made into novels and films. My latest viewing of it was the TV series "Highlander" about how the Scotland people were so cruelly treated by the British. This 'Black '47" is one of the best films that I have viewed in late of this year. It's so thoughtful, dark, dreary, atrocious, cruel, bloody and sad; a mixture of unforgetable and undeniable heartless inhuman crime committed by the British Empire and its aristocratic society.

The whole film is well scripted, directed and performed by a bunch of A-list actors to support a not quite well known actor, James Frecheville, to play the leading "Fenny" role. There's no romantic moment at all in this film, only the horrible human sufferings. I just felt sad and numb when this film ended, but at the same time, would like to praise its seriousness of making this film.

There is a lot in this that reminds me of elements of the movie First Blood. However this is set in Ireland in the 1800's during the potato famine.

I'm an Englishman and i have to say, i absolutely support the people of Ireland against the English in this. The way the English behaved toward that people of Ireland is abhorrent to me. I would and do fully side with the Irish on their right to own their own land, to be free, but them, we're more alike than we realise since we were both the victims of Norman Monarchs and their descendants.

Anyhow, politics aside, this is a really moving and gripping action/revenge story. The acting is great. Yes the concept is black and white, a bit cliched, but the execution is brilliant. Cast, well, it has Hugo Weaving so we're off to a solid start and the cast does work well.

The English Captain is a bit of a cliched plum, but hey, somebody has to be the bad guy and the English aristocracy were.

Really gritty, solid movie. Both entertaining and moving. Very enjoyable to watch. The only downside is it reminds us all how badly the poor Irish of the time are treated and that is something kids in the UK should learn about and be ashamed of.

A decent film well directed by Lance Daly with top-notch performances and shot in Western style . Pretty good film about a relentless pursuit carried out by a misfit bunch , being set in Ireland during the Great Famine , the drama follows an Irish Ranger called Feeney (James Frecheville) who has been fighting for the British Army abroad , as he leaves his post to reunite with his family . A British officer Pope (Freddie Fox) is assigned to detain him and he join forces with other volunteers as Hobson (Barry Keoghan) , Conneely (Stephen Rea) and the tough convict Hannah (Hugo Weaving) . All of them cross alone the stark lanscapes and wastelands that spread around them . As they go after the rebellious outlaw who is taking justice on their own hands . The rebel getaways on and on from the claws his pursuers , as he is mercilessly pursued by the motley team . At the end of the film, before the end credits, there is the following dedication: "in memory of all those who died, and those who went away, never to return." In Ireland's Darkest Hour Vengeance Shines a Light. A gritty revenge tale for fans of actioners like The Proposition.

An intense and strong drama follows an Irish Ranger who has been struggling in Afghanistan for the British Army , as he abandons his post to join his family , but things go wrong . Set in Ireland 1847 , during the Great Famine when the Irish potato famine was at its height and hundreds of thousands of people died from starvation , there in a far and undetermined corner of Ireland where ominous and abusive Brit soldiers , ruthless foremen , and nasty landholders impose their personal law with fear , vengeance , rage and violence in the scared and illiterate population . This is a downbeat and shocking movie set in an impoverished , tyrannical and oppressive country with absence of money , resources and starvation , being made in Spaghetti Western style with thrills , chills , emotion , go riding and thrilling fights . This is an interesting and intelligent picture following the wake of the twilight Western of the late Sixties and Seventies as Wild Bunch , Bite the Bullet , 100 Rifles or The Hunting Party . Director Lance Saly copes well this exciting movie helped by a great plethora of actors giving nice performances . The movie is a little downbeat , showing an Ireland of misery and poorness with a lot of people full of hunger, hate and blood . The picture is , sometimes , slowly paced , but entertaining enough . However , the film does succeed in giving us nice acting from the two leads . Cast is frankly magnificent . James Frecheville is very good as the ex-soldier who formerly experiencing the horrors of Afghan war , then he is shocked by the famine's destruction of his homeland and the brutalization of his people and his family . Hugo Weaving is terrific as a two-fisted soldier with moral values . And other actors as Freddie Fox , Stephen Rea , Barry Keoghan , Sarah Greene , Jim Broadbent are frankly fine . It packs adequate and atmospheric cinematography by Declan Quinn , made on location in ordinary Irish landscapes as Connemara, County Galway, Kildare, and Wicklow, Ireland. The sound is extremely good with a rousing musical score by Brian Byrne and evocative songs. The motion picture was well directed by Lance Daly (Life's a Breeze, The good doctor , Kisses, The Halo Effect , Last Days in Dublin).

Based on historical events about ¨The Great Famine¨ also known as the Great Hunger, the Great Starvation or the Irish Holocaust and sometimes referred to as the Irish Potato Famine mostly outside Ireland, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1849. With the most severely affected areas in the west and south of Ireland, where the Irish language was dominant, the period was contemporaneously known in Irish as the "hard times" or literally, "The Bad Life". The worst year of the period was 1847, known as "Black '47". During the famine, about one million people died and a million more emigrated, causing Ireland's population to fall by between 20% and 25%. The proximate cause of the famine was a natural event, a potato blight, which infected potato crops throughout Europe during the 1840s, also causing some 100,000 deaths outside Ireland and influencing much of the unrest in the widespread European Revolutions of 1848. From 1846, the impact of the blight was exacerbated by the Whig government's economic policy of laissez-faire capitalism. Longer-term causes include the system of absentee landlordism, and single-crop dependence.The famine was a watershed in the history of Ireland,which from 1801 to 1922 was ruled directly by Westminster as part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The famine and its effects permanently changed the island's demographic, political, and cultural landscape, producing an estimated two million refugees and spurring a century-long population decline. For both the native Irish and those in the resulting diaspora, the famine entered folk memory. The strained relations between many Irish and their government soured further because of the famine, heightening ethnic and sectarian tensions and boosting Irish nationalism and republicanism in Ireland and among Irish emigrants in the United States and elsewhere. Documentarian John Percival explains, the "famine became part of the long story of betrayal & exploitation which led to the growing movement in Ireland for independence".The potato blight returned to Europe in 1879, but by that point the Land War, described as one of the largest agrarian movements to take place in 19th-century Europe, had begun in Ireland.The movement, organized by the Land League, continued the political campaign for the Three Fs, issued in 1850 by the Tenant Right League during the Great Famine. When the potato blight returned in the 1879 famine the League boycotted "notorious landlords" and its members physically blocked evictions of farmers; the consequent reduction in homelessness and house demolition resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of deaths.

This movie depicts just one atrocity committed against the Irish people in a very long occupation. It was atmospherically bleak, as is the material on which it is based. I have known of this horror my entire life and still shudder at the coldness of the British as they blamed the famine on laziness of the Irish, and calmly went about exporting 98% of what the Irish grew - leaving them only the potato. I cannot fault the acting or the story but I would have rather seen an irish actor in the lead. If you care about injustices against a people, you need to see this - just as you need to see "Bitter Harvest" about Stalin's genocide against the Ukrainians. Any movie that leaves you wanting to flesh out the history had done its job.

A bleak but powerful look at a horrendous period of Irish history. The English 'gentry' of the time sure have a lot to answer for.

This story set in a times of dark history is engaging. I feel for the protagonist, I think he is a hero. It also reminds me of how lucky I am to be alive, and not have to worry about food or shelter.

My family was one of those, so "Black '47" was personal for me. An Irish revenge western against the British toffs of the 1840s? Sign me up! Despite the overwhelmingly grim and bleak setting, I owed it to my Great-Great-Great Granny Ellen, to watch this. Part of me thinks she might have enjoyed watching an Irishman go rogue and take out a few of these English.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought. Hugo Weaving was great in particular, but I thought it focused too heavily on characters that I hated. It just made me angry and frustrated, and the motives of certain characters were not altogether clear. I never thought I could hate Jim Broadbent until this - Lord Kilmichael was a villain I personally wanted to strangle.

James Frecheville didn't blow me away with his performance - I couldn't help but think another actor may have done more in that role of Feeney. "Black '47" did hold my interest throughout, but I was never really left satisfied. Perhaps that was the whole point though. In such a bleak time, there were no real winners. I didn't enjoy the ending.

"Black '47" has made me want to rewatch Heath Ledger's "Ned Kelly" - when Irish go rogue in Australia 'after' transportation. Despite its shortcomings, I'm glad we now have a film set during the Irish Famine - it was needed. If you're looking for something to make you depressed on a Sunday night, then this is for you.

I just want to go give my Irish convict granny a big heartfelt hug.

How can yo NOT love any movie with a line like that? Great film

Feeney (the persuasive, unexpectedly Australian James Frecheville) plays an Irish Ranger who returns from wars in Afghanistan to find his family caught in the cogs of the developing holocaust. Heaving around a head like an Easter Island statue decorated with weeds, Feeney soon encounters even worse outrages and, setting aside ideas of emigration, vows to pursue a war against the administrators and colonialist bandits. This is a must see...

I find the production quality of this film to be above what you'd usually expect from an Irish film and thus causing people to regard it more highly than any other film, given our lower standards.

The film was simply okay. Something you can throw on without much thought when sitting at home, but nothing engaging, intelligent or all that special. 'A man on a quest for vengeance' is hardly the most original concept and one would hope for anything that might help it stand out from the crowd. This film, however, offers little more than the sheer novelty of having an Irish setting and prevalent use of the language.

It's not a bad film, but nothing I would want to spend money on.

Just watched Black 47 tonight in West Belfast with a hushed audience. A story about injustice and famine and how comradeship can redeem the evil in man. A dark and emotional film which will make you cry - and whoop as some of the culprits are served justice by a man of the people.

Greetings again from the darkness. While filmmakers don't tend to shy away from sad or even depressing characters or events, Ireland's Great Famine has rarely been depicted on the big screen, for whatever reason. The film's title refers to the worst year of the famine (1847). These were bleak times and folks were desperate - nearly without hope. More than one million people died, and between one million and two million emigrated from Ireland (depending on what time frame you exam). It all began with potato blight.

Director Lance Daly co-wrote the script with PJ Dillon, Eugene O'Brien, and Pierce Ryan, and have chosen to explain history through a personal story rather than an epic big picture one. Feeney (James Frecheville, ANIMAL KINGDOM, 2010) goes AWOL from the British Army in order to check on his family. The home he finds hardly resembles the one he left. His mother is dead from starvation and his brother was hanged. The rest of his family has been evicted and is soon dead as well. Apparently what he witnessed in war prepared Feeney for the horrors he discovers in his homeland. To complicate matters, he is not only viewed as a deserter by the British, but also a traitor within his own community (for fighting for the British).

Feeney becomes a renegade on a mission to avenge the deaths in his family. The film plays like one of those Charles Bronson movies, where a man of principle believes in doling out his own form of justice. A posse of 4 is assembled to track down Feeney. Captain Pope (Freddie Fox, THE THREE MUSKATEERS, 2011) is a despicable soul and by-the-book soldier who blindly follows orders and ignores the suffering of citizens he views as barely human. Young Hobson (Barry Keoghan, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, 2017) is the Captain's personal valet, while Conneely (Stephen Rea) is local added as a translator - and some much needed comic relief. The most interesting of the group is Hannah, a disgraced Inspector and Feeney's former commanding officer.

Hugo Weaving (THE MATRIX) plays Hannah as a man driven to the edge by his war experience. One a hero, now slightly unstable in his actions, Hannah agrees to join the posse instead of spending his life in prison. His commitment to the cause is always in question, as we are led to believe there is much to the connection of Hannah and Feeney ... a connection that plays out dramatically when they finally cross paths again. Mr. Weaving's great face is contrasted nicely by Mr. Frecheville's dead eyes ('like a doll's eyes').

The revenge mission plays out with some violence, but director Daly never stoops to gratuitous gore. Instead, we typically see the aftermath ... one of which brings a twist to the phrase "pig-headed". Feeney's time as a soldier has well prepared him for this mission. Even Crocodile Dundee would be proud of Feeney's knife, and he does tend to make a statement with each of his killings.

Supporting work is provided by Jim Broadbent, Moe Dunford ("Vikings"), and Sarah Greene ("Penny Dreadful"). There are a couple of themes on display here: the politics (and power grab) of the time, and one man's drive to knock down corruption and clean up his beloved country ... while showing no mercy to those who have harmed his family. The contempt for the British is quite clear. Religion doesn't escape commentary and judgment, with a sequence involving a Protestant minister, a Roman Catholic priest and a soup line with a catch.

Director of Photographer Declan Quinn (MONSOON WEDDING, IN AMERICA, LEAVING LAS VEGAS) does work capturing the contrast between beautiful vistas and incredible hardships. The stunning Connemara (western Australia) landscape is offset by immense suffering and cruelty ... only the art design is a bit shaky, which is understandable given budgetary challenges. Though we've rarely, if ever, seen such a cinematic treatment of this era, it's clear the guns misfired more often than this production.

That's the kind of feature we can find on Netflix, unusual films certainly not made for wide audiences, those jerks who prefer super heroes craps with seven hundred millions dollars budget...Yes, I love this feature showing, a war in Afghanistan veteran - yes, even in 1847, there were British soldiers in Afghanistan - who gets revenge from his folks death. A desperate gloomy tale, with no heroes but only anti heroes, who fight in a lost in advance struggle....This scheme could have been made concerning Vietnam, WW2, or even now war in Afghanistan veterans and their issues after returning from war.

This film is a bleak bit of business, but I liked it a lot. Writer/Director Lance Daly has captured the mood of Ireland in 1847, during the heart of the potato famine. The film has almost no color, save the bright red uniforms of the British soldiers, which also helps to set the mood.

Australian James Frecheville shines as the very unamused Feeney, returned from war, after fighting for and then deserting the British and is heading for America. But, in stopping at home to get the rest of his family, he comes face-to-face with the realities of life in Ireland since he left and he commences to wreck his revenge on those responsible. Hugo Weaving is excellent as the Constable, and former soldier-in-arms and friend of Feeny's, who is assigned to bring him in, alongside the arrogant Capt. Pope, pompously played by Freddie Fox. Stephen Rea is along for the ride with some homespun wit and wisdom. Barry Keoghan makes an impression in a small role. The always interesting Jim Broadbent, plays the cold hearted fictional bas terd, Lord Kilmichael, but the character is almost certainly based on the real-life bas terd, the Earl of Lucan.