Tiger Raid (2016)

Truly Dreadful Film

Memorable, crazy movie

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Joe (Brian Gleeson) and his junior friend Paddy (Damien Molony) work as mercenaries for Dave in Iraq. Their goal is to kidnap the daughter of a rich man. Much of the film is conversation between the two. We discover a lot of things that set us up for the final confrontations of the film which include the daughter (Sofia Boutella). Joe owes Dave while Paddy's loyalty has not been tested.First off, there is no tiger, and the "raid" consists of killing one guy watching a monitor screen. This is a psychological drama with internal conflict, being played out in Iraq. There are a lot of boring scenes of guys with heavy Irish accents engaging in "locker room" talk. I believe the twists at the end makes the film worth sitting through, you may not.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Irish TV broke new ground in 2010 thanks to the writings of Stuart Carolan on RTE Love/Hate. Through the writings of Carolon and performances of Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Killian Scott Irish television had entered a new era. That is how it feels when you watch Simon Dixon's script unfold here through the performances of Brian Gleeson and Damien Molony. My initial thoughts when watching it last night was like tragic Shakespeare play unfolding before me with a powerful performance by Brian Gleeson.He is his father's son when it comes to acting talent, simply brilliant. If it I had one criticism it would be the pace of how Dixon concludes the story. But outside of that cinematography captures the landscape beautifully, lighting and stunt coordination are also excellently executed. It would be unheard of before Love/Hate for an Irish co-production to attempt such a film. Well done to Simon Dixon and the team, looking forward to watching this space

If you are expecting a straightforward thriller, don't watch this! It is a haunting psychological drama that will stay with you for days. For example, the casual violence displayed by Joe and Paddy while they were discussing the 'higher' things in life - love, politics, religion - I found truly disturbing. I found that this film haunted me, that I spent time mulling over the characters and events, even considering different endings and the consequences for the characters.My feelings about the main characters, Paddy and Joe, were in a constant state of flux as more was revealed about their pasts and personalities.There are tremendous performances by all the actors, but especially Brian Gleeson and Damien Molony, giving real depth to the characters. They were ably supported by the beautiful, haunting soundtrack and wonderful visual camera work.

This is kind of film where you just gotta use words such as "powerful" and "gripping". It has several very genre breaking plot twists and it was extremely refreshing experience after all the crappy AAA titles I saw this year.Film has only 4 characters. One of those 4 is in it for less than 10 seconds. Over 90% of screen time is just two guys ... talking. And if someone described this film to me that way I might not even have seen it. So, let us add that both guys are neurotic psychopathic killers, and rapists, who keep switching from close partners to trying to murder each other over and over.Throughout the film you really want to side with each of them at different points and its hard to decide which one, or perhaps both, or neither, should survive in the end. And just when you almost make up your mind, third character enters to complicate things further.Its a must see movie.Just see it.