Terry McMahon's PATRICK'S DAY is a profoundly moving masterpiece, and a wake up call to Irish filmmakers to quit with the self-mocking crime caper film which never takes itself seriously and to make meaningful films that stick in our heads long after the credits roll.
It takes balls to make a bold film like this.
It probably wasn't since after Gaspar Noe's 2002 film IRREVERSIBLE that I staggered out into the Dublin daylight, trembling with emotion, numb
my mind racing with possibilities in the car on the drive home, trying to recollect the immensity of what I had just witnessed.
All of the craft elements coalesce perfectly – photography, editing, music, direction, script, performance, everything else – and a piece of true cinema magic is born.
The film is a sledgehammer to the jaw – a raw and honest film from a writer/director who is the real deal, and who is going to play a huge role in shaping Irish cinema moving forward. It's one of the most powerful films I've ever seen -- I was moved to tears many times.
I would personally rank this with the best of Irish cinema, up there with greats such as IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER.
A modern classic. A must see.
Go out and buy it and support hardworking Irish filmmakers who need our support.
