Black '47
IFC Films | Release Date: September 28, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
4
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Film ThreatLorry KiktaOct 2, 2018
The cast in this film is incredible. Read full review
80
Film Journal InternationalStephen Whitty Sep 26, 2018
This is a simple, macho morality tale—of the oppressors and the oppressed, of good and evil, and of the one man who sets out to settle the scales of justice. And the level on which it works is primal—and frighteningly effective. Read full review
80
VarietyJessica KiangSep 26, 2018
Daly’s characterful, slow-burn tale is a well-crafted experiment in grafting genre onto disregarded history. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 26, 2018
It is a harrowingly effective film, though flawed by the actions of Weaving’s officer being unconvincingly motivated at the end, and perhaps born of an emollient screenwriting need to split the difference between the Irish avenger-hero and his enemies. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatySep 28, 2018
Despite its Irish setting, Black ’47 feels more than anything like an American Western, what with its shades-of-grey morality and almost Biblical quest for payback. Like Clint Eastwood’s Bill Munny in "Unforgiven" or John Wayne’s Ethan Edwards in "The Searchers," Martin is a silent avenger pushed to do things he doesn’t want to do but also can’t ignore. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenOct 4, 2018
The mournful film, which includes equally sturdy performances from old reliables Stephen Rea and Jim Broadbent, admittedly puts a hefty premium on tone at the expense of more intricate plotting and character development. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennySep 27, 2018
Since this is a rare feature film to treat the Irish famine, it’s a little odd that it tilts so heavily toward a genre exercise. But as a genre exercise, it’s pretty potent. Read full review
60
EmpireIan FreerSep 24, 2018
Black 47 lacks the seriousness and rigour of other displaced Westerns like The Proposition and Sweet Country. But Lance Daly’s film is gripping enough to suggest Ireland’s tragic backstory is a frontier full of resonant riches. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 26, 2018
While the script is far too spotty and unfocused for the film to be anything more than the sum of its parts, the setting — and the set-pieces that Daly creates from it — is enough to prevent this unlikely genre mash from being a blight of its own. Read full review
50
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganSep 26, 2018
Using the Great Hunger as a backdrop for a revenge western is an interesting way to exorcise old ghosts, but the end result drains pathos from the tragedy while muting The Proposition-style genre elements. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Simran HansOct 2, 2018
It’s unfortunate that caricatured villains lessen the impact of the film’s upward punch. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineDerek SmithSep 24, 2018
As the historical specificity embedded in the film’s more expansive opening act is abandoned, the more predictable, archetypal trappings of a revenge narrative begin to take hold. Read full review
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