Revenge

The height of the Irish potato fame occurred in the mid to late 1840’s. Thousands starved, many emigrated. The tragedy forms the core of Black 47 (2018), shot on location on the Emerald Isle, lending it an air of authenticity. The protagonist is a deserter who fought for the Crown in an elite outfit. Once home, he learns that his mom has starved to death and his brother has been hanged. He takes revenge and is hunted. It is a sort of Army-of-One story so popular today, although it does not strain credulity as often as other movies of the genre do, and it has a much different conclusion. It is a brutal depiction of the times. Director Lance Daly, in his sixth stint at the helm, collaborated on the screenplay with three others whose names seem Irish in ancestry. He was smart enough to leave much of the violence off screen. Of course, it has echoes of modern times, especially in the oft repeated phrase: “I was following orders.” Australia’s James Frencheville is solid as the protagonist, as is Hugo Weaving as his tracker, and Freddie Fox in the part of a British captain his dad Edward or uncle James might have played when they were young. Stephen Rea is excellent as a paid guide, leavening the dreariness through dialogue and song, and the great Jim Broadbent lends his brilliance to the part of the last of the prey, a British aristocrat. 8000+ users at IMDb have rated Black 47, forging to a consensus of 6.8 on a scale of ten. It runs only 1:40, a plus. Anyone turned off by the downbeat should pass. It’s a good film that is not quite satisfying viscerally, as loyalties are all over the place among the populace, and the issues are muddied. They are debated to this day. The resentment endures among some, although great progress appears to have been made. The film works chiefly as a tale of revenge. Here are Frencheville and Weaving in character:

Liberals are predicting Iran will retaliate. That country, the number one sponsor of terror worldwide, has been attacking for decades. Terror is one of the only things its leaders do well. They have been biding their time, developing weaponry, while commissioning a proxy war vs. America. Of course they will strike again. We have been at war with Iran since the hostages were taken in late 1979.

The mist and lack of parking at viaducts put the kibosh on any hope of running the floating book shop today. Although I feel like complaining, I won’t. It’s not snow.

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