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Movie Review: There’s no feud like an Irish feud over land, fermented guilt and sheep — “Bring Them Down”

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Movie Review: There’s no feud like an Irish feud over land, fermented guilt and sheep — “Bring Them Down”

Not going to sugar-coat this.

“Bring Them Down” is rough, a movie of wrenching, insensate cruelty, much of it directed at animals.

Writer-director Chris Andrews has made a debut feature that is as hard to watch as any recent film, and an intentionally frustrating experience that mimics real life in a world where “the law” doesn’t figure into things, least of all a search for justice.

Andrews tells the story out of order, showing us horrible things that happen as tensions rise in a feud between neighboring sheep farms in hilly, rocky central Ireland (Connemara is the setting, Athenry is mentioned, the Wicklow Mountains were the filming location). And then he flips back to show us how and why things happen, letting us dread the ugliness that we’ve already seen and know we may have to see again.

The story weaves random encounters and bad blood and vague rumors of “rustling” into specific grievances, causes and effects as it does.

A car accident years ago shows us a tearful mother pleading with her son to take the news of her leaving his father well, and Mikey’s mother and girlfriend in the back seat shouting at him to slow down as he road rages into an accident that kills, and disfigures and emotionally scars those who survive.

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Grown up, Mikey (Christopher Abbott, just seen in “Wolf Man”) still lives on the farm with his “waiting for new knees” Da (Colm Meaney, of course), still communicates with the old bully in Gaelic, still tends the the that the O’Sheas graze on a hill they share with a neighbor who doesn’t have their “500 years” of experience, reputation and financial security.

Paul Ready of TV’s “The Terror” is Gary, the burly, bearded and bullying neighbor who has raised his son (Barry Keoghan) in his image. His wife (Nora-Jane Noone) was in the back seat of that car with Mikey, decades before. She bears the scar of that wreck, and Gary isn’t shy about using that to bait Mikey every chance he gets.

We’ve seen Mikey’s temper. We’re allowed to wonder if he’s mellowed, and wonder how wise that approach to a neighbor might be.

Because young Jack (Keoghan) called Mikey to alert him to a couple of dead O’Shea rams on the hill.

“Where there’s livestock, there’s dead stock,” he cracks.

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But Jack is evasive and won’t let Mikey see the corpses. and when two re-branded (with spray paint) rams turn up at the local auction, the game is up. Jack stole them. Mikey’s fury is barely contained as Gary does what bullies do — dares him to do something about it.

As there have been stories of rustlers mutilating sheep, lopping off their legs, the threats to the O’Shea’s way of life are concrete and palpable. What does Old Man O’Shea want Mikey to do about it? Bring back the sheep by force?

Nooo. He wants his son to “Bring me their f–ckin’ HEADS!”

Callous cruelty and self-serving behavior permeates this world, where peer pressure — nobody will buy from shifty, crooked Gary — is almost the only recourse available when one family steps completely out of line. There’s no friendly uniformed Garda to keep the peace and see that wrong is made right.

And with no law, escalations can only end in horror.

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Shoving and threatening leads to road rage and other escalations. And as the story folds back into itself, we see the desperation and amorality of the malefactors, the cowardice of bullies, the consequences of being a bad neighbor and the burden of being trapped with that bad neighbor — for life.

If you’re easily triggered on pretty much any subject listed above, I’d advise you to steer clear of this brutish Irish saga. It’s too bloody, too depressing and infuriating, and Andrews makes it his business to not give the viewer much relief or satisfaction with any of it.

But it’s also quite good, even if it denies us much that would give the viewer some sense of relief or justice.

Rating: R, graphic violence, animal abuse, drug abuse, smoking, profanity

Cast: Christopher Abbott, Barry Keoghan, Nora-Jane Noone, Paul Ready and Colm Meaney.

Credits: Scripted and directed by Chris Andrews. A Mubi release.

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Running time: 1:47

About Roger Moore

Movie Critic, formerly with McClatchy-Tribune News Service, Orlando Sentinel, published in Spin Magazine, The World and now published here, Orlando Magazine, Autoweek Magazine

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Movie Reviews

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Review: USA Premiere Report

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Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Review: USA Premiere Report

U.S. Premiere Report:

#MSG Review: Free Flowing Chiru Fun

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It’s an easy, fun festive watch with a better first half that presents Chiru in a free-flowing, at-ease with subtle humor. On the flip side, much-anticipated Chiru-Venky track is okay, which could have elevated the second half.

#AnilRavipudi gets the credit for presenting Chiru in his best, most likable form, something that was missing from his comeback.

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With a simple story, fun moments and songs, this has enough to become a commercial success this #Sankranthi

Rating: 2.5/5

First Half Report:

#MSG Decent Fun 1st Half!

Chiru’s restrained body language and acting working well, paired with consistent subtle humor along with the songs and the father’s emotion which works to an extent, though the kids’ track feels a bit melodramatic – all come together to make the first half a decent fun, easy watch.

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– Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu show starts with Anil Ravipudi-style comedy, with his signature backdrop, a gang, and silly gags, followed by a Megastar fight and a song. Stay tuned for the report.

U.S. Premiere begins at 10.30 AM EST (9 PM IST). Stay tuned Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu review, report.

Cast: Megastar Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh Daggubati, Nayanthara, Catherine Tresa

Writer & Director – Anil Ravipudi
Producers – Sahu Garapati and Sushmita Konidela
Presents – Smt.Archana
Banners – Shine Screens and Gold Box Entertainments
Music Director – Bheems Ceciroleo
Cinematographer – Sameer Reddy
Production Designer – A S Prakash
Editor – Tammiraju
Co-Writers – S Krishna, G AdiNarayana
Line Producer – Naveen Garapati
U.S. Distributor: Sarigama Cinemas

 Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Movie Review by M9

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Primate

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Primate
Every horror fan deserves the occasional (decent) fix, andin the midst of one of the bleakest movie months of the year, Primatedelivers. There’s nothing terribly original about Johannes Roberts’ rabidchimpanzee tale, but that’s kind of the …
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Movie Reviews

1986 Movie Reviews – Black Moon Rising | The Nerdy

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1986 Movie Reviews – Black Moon Rising | The Nerdy
by Sean P. Aune | January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 10:30 am EST

Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1986 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.

We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.

Yes, we’re insane, but 1986 was that great of a year for film.

The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1986 so that it is their true 40th anniversary. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.

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This time around, it’s Jan. 10, 1986, and we’re off to see Black Moon Rising.

Black Moon Rising

What was the obsession in the 1980s with super vehicles?

Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) is hired to steal a computer tape with evidence against a company on it. While being pursued, he tucks it in the parachute of a prototype vehicle called the Black Moon. While trying to retrieve it, the car is stolen by Nina (Linda Hamilton), a car thief working for a car theft ring. Both of them want out of their lives, and it looks like the Black Moon could be their ticket out.

Blue Thunder in the movies, Airwolf and Knight Rider on TV, the 1980s loved an impractical ‘super’ vehicle. In this case, the car plays a very minor role up until the final action set piece, and the story is far more about the characters and their motivations.

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The movie is silly as you would expect it to be, but it is never a bad watch. It’s just not anything particularly memorable.

1986 Movie Reviews will continue on Jan. 17, 2026, with The Adventures of the American Rabbit, The Adventures of Mark Twain, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Iron Eagle, The Longshot, and Troll.


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