Black '47

When Martin Feeney (James Frecheville) returns to Ireland in 1847, there isn’t much left of his homeland. For years, he had fought bravely for the British in Afghanistan. Now, the representatives of the Crown and their henchmen (Jim Broadbent as an ignorant landowner) stand by impassively in his country as people starve while the fields are ravaged by potato blight. Anyone who can no longer pay their rent is mercilessly evicted, and their home is rendered uninhabitable. Feeney has nothing left—and therefore nothing left to lose. The ex-soldier grabs his rifle and begins to slaughter his way through the British occupation hierarchy. He is pursued by soldiers of the British Army and an officer of the Royal Irish Constabulary (Hugo Weaving). It’s payback time… Lance Daly’s film is characterized by bleak, icy landscapes and a relentless portrayal of the misery that plagued Ireland at the time. The spiral of violence in this uncompromising tale of retribution is brutal. On the other hand, the atmosphere, the political acuity, and the portrayal of oppression by the British colonial power as the driving force behind the conflict are impressive. This makes “Black ’47” a work that is not for the faint of heart, but is intense and visually striking, successfully blending history with genre elements and a healthy dose of rage. “This revenge thriller breaks away from simplistic black-and-white portrayals with nuanced characterizations and explores the roots of a spiral of hatred and violence that extends well into the 20th century.” (Lexikon des Internationalen Films)