The Banshees of Inisherin (Digital) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Searchlight / Disney
Release Date: November 13, 2022 (Digital) November 20, 2022 (Blu-ray)
Rating: R
Film: 4.5/5

Plot
Set on an island off the west coast of Ireland, The Banshees of Inisherin follows two lifelong friends, Pàdraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm abruptly decides to end their friendship. With the support of his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon), who along with the local policeman’s son Dominic (Barry Keoghan) has her own qualms within the small island community, a confused and devastated Pàdraic attempts to reignite their relationship. But when Colm delivers a shocking ultimatum in order to crystalize his intention, events start to escalate to fractious heights.

My Thoughts
One of our good friends is from Ireland and it’s a place we definitely want to visit in the future, so when I saw the press release for this film, I knew it was something that I’d have to see. I would categorize the film as a dark comedy with plenty of laughs, but when it turns dark—damn, it gets pretty dark! The dialog is extremely well written by writer/director Martin McDonagh and the casting of Farrell and Gleeson is spot on. McDonagh is best known for his film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which he also wrote and directed, and the film was nominated for the 2018 Best Picture and Best Screenplay awards, but I actually saw a play he wrote while in London in 2013 titled “The Cripple of Inishmaan” starring Daniel Radcliffe. I will say this—he’s one hell of a writer, that’s for sure. 




Conclusion
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this film, but the Irish angle sold me and both my wife and I absolutely loved it. The first act is hilarious, but as things start to spin out of control in the second act, we were glued to the screen. Be warned, it is a bit twisted, but the story outstanding and the two leads deliver plenty of laughs with their dry delivery. Highly recommended.


Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[David Vaughn]

This review disappeared for the site, so I've reposted it. 

[Craig Peer]

The powers that be have looked into it. An alien abduction apparently.

[bmoney]

At least you have the review saved!

[David Vaughn]

At least you have the review saved!

I have them all saved!

[Paul Heroy]

David, this was reposted initially with the topic as "The Ban", and I was afraid that in addition to reviews disappearing, you'd been banished somehow! 

I blame some AI hack. 

[David Vaughn]

David, this was reposted initially with the topic as "The Ban", and I was afraid that in addition to reviews disappearing, you'd been banished somehow!

I blame some AI hack.

LOL....the title autofilled, but I forgot to hit the <tab> button so it only showed up as The Ban....that was 100% user error

[bmoney]

LOL....the title autofilled, but I forgot to hit the <tab> button so it only showed up as The Ban....that was 100% user error

This whole thing is convoluted haha

[SRW1000]

Thanks for reposting this review, David.  We had it in our queue for quite a while and finally got it this last weekend.  I had trepidations about it, since I was not impressed with McDonagh's Billboards movie, which didn't resonate with me at all, but this movie is much better; we both loved it.

My wife and I had both taken roughly month-long trips to Ireland in the same year, well before we knew each other, and parts of this movie really brought that experience back to us.  The movie is hilariously and heavily sprinkled with "feckin'" this and "feckin'" that.  I visited the eastern side of the country and encountered a slight variation.  It took me a day to figure out what "foogin'" really meant.  If you make the trip, I'm sure you'd have a great time.  The people were so welcoming, although it was surprising to constantly be asked if I was Catholic.  That was almost 40 years ago, so that may be different these days.

There was even an old woman in the small village where I stayed that was said to have heard a banshee, she could have been a body double for the lady in the movie and wearing the same exact style of dress.  She invited me into her home for a chat to discuss her encounter, but her accent was so thick I only picked up a small amount of her story. 

The whole movie really brought back all kinds of memories, but even without that experience the story, characters, and script are so well orchestrated that one can easily get completely caught up in the story, wondering what might happen next.  The movie successfully walks a delicate line between fun and depressing, wrapped up in a convincing and evocative environment.

The only thing that felt a bit off was the color.  It's a cliche, but as the plane was touching down, I couldn't believe the greenness of the country.  Sure, we have grass and various crops around here, but the intensity of green just isn't in this film.  Nor was it in any of the pictures I took while I was there.  The color just looks different.  I wonder if your friend has noticed the same thing.

Lastly, for anyone that was charmed by the pub in the movie, someone has rescued all the furnishings from the movie set and turned it into a real pub on the mainland that you can visit:  Famous Banshees of Inisherin pub rebuilt and officially opening to the public - Irish Star

Looks like it would be a blast to stop at.

Scott

[David Vaughn]

Scott,

Thanks for the post. In fact, I'm headed to Ireland the first week of September before going to Scotland the week after. We weren't planning to go to Galway, but we may go out of our way to do this

We will be in Killarney and would maybe stop here on our way back to Dublin (about a 30 minute detour according to Google). We have a 6pm train to Belfast to visit some friends for a few days before heading across the water to Scotland. 

I'll compare notes and see if the "green" matches. Maybe it was the time of year you went? I know the grass around my house changes color depending on the season. 

[SRW1000]

Scott,

Thanks for the post. In fact, I'm headed to Ireland the first week of September before going to Scotland the week after. We weren't planning to go to Galway, but we may go out of our way to do this

We will be in Killarney and would maybe stop here on our way back to Dublin (about a 30 minute detour according to Google). We have a 6pm train to Belfast to visit some friends for a few days before heading across the water to Scotland.

I'll compare notes and see if the "green" matches. Maybe it was the time of year you went? I know the grass around my house changes color depending on the season.

That's fantastic, I hope you have a great time.  If you visit one of the pubs, take the opportunity to enjoy a Shandy.  And if you're a Guinness fan, be sure to have a pint on tap.  It's said the flavor changes on the trip from Ireland to the US.

If I remember correctly, I went in January/February, so it was shocking to see as much green as there was.

Let us know how it goes, and if you do make it to the recreated pub, post a picture here.  It would be fun to see.