There's not a lot to do about horses in this story, though the idea sits as a backdrop to Douglas Armstrong's (Cosmo Jarvis) young autistic son and the calming effect provided when he rides or otherwise associates with them. 'Arm' is the brute enforcer for an Irish gangster clan headed by a thug named Paudi (Ned Dennehy),and things go a bit haywire when Arm fails to fulfill a hit on a family friend who raped a young girl from the Devers clan. Jarvis is quite effective in demonstrating the angst one might feel when ordered to kill someone for the first time, so he tries to take the easy way out by threatening Fannigan (Liam Carney) to leave the village and never come back, lest more than mere bodily harm come his way. The plan doesn't last very long, and Paudi doesn't intend to let Arm off easy for failing to heed his directive. Seems in this case, blood isn't thicker than water.

The lead actor in this picture really impressed me, but not for the obvious. Though he was an accomplished enforcer with a mean streak, his moments with ex-wife Ursula (Niamh Algar) and their son revealed a surprising bit of tenderness and compassion, particularly when it became apparent that she was about to move away for a job opportunity. The closing moments of the story demonstrated how a hulk of a man could be reduced to tears for allowing his life to go off the rails the way it did. Not to mention that he knew that his own life was forfeit due to crossing the local crime lord.

What was humorous to me while watching the picture though, was the name of the crime family in the story. Three of my best friends are brothers with the last name Dever, close enough that whenever I heard and saw the name 'Devers' captioned in the film, I paused the story to take a screen shot when it came up. An early scene had Arm's handler Dympna (Barry Keoghan) going on and on about demanding respect for his authority from a discourteous saloon patron. It will now be a source of endless ribbing to remind them all that "They're trouble, the Devers".

Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong is a former boxer who retired after killing a man. He still has feelings for his ex Ursula and tries to do right for their autistic son Jack. He works for the criminal Devers family and his volatile friend Dympna Devers. He's basically the muscle for Dympna who supplies him with party drugs. After an incident, Dympna asks him to do something which causes internal conflicts.

I love the violence and the easy brutality. Arm has a real vulnerability which gets translated into his inner conflict. He's more than just muscles. Barry Keoghan is a great up-and-coming actor. This is a small but terrific film from Ireland. The title is less than desirable. While I understand the meaning, the American title is far superior.

Not a remake, beware, of the John Huston's most known film, but a tribute, which you will recognize at first glance. A pessilistic, gloomy tale in which you also could easily imagine Mickey Rourke as the lead character. It's not a crime movie actually, more a drama involving gangsters, a character study. Well done pretty film.