Bring Them Down (2024) Dir: Christopher Andrews
- Ridley Coote
- Jun 19
- 2 min read
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This Christopher Andrews directed Mubi original Irish thriller came out in a rather understated manner, as a lot of independent films do, in fairness. I had seen a trailer for it, prior to its release, and was at least intrigued by its seemingly dramatic premise. Reviews have been fairly positive across the board for this film, which, naturally, encouraged me a little as to what I could expect.
Visually speaking, this was very typically independent in style. There was a lot of handheld camerawork, tracking shots and close-ups, all of which were certainly done to a professional standard. Nothing about the film's cinematography stood out, as such, but it also didn't necessarily need to do anything flashy or unique. It was easy to look at, in any case, which is no bad thing, as far as I'm concerned.
The narrative was a little strange in nature, but it definitely made for tense viewing. I thought that some of the scenes were very visceral, and even upsetting. There were, in particular, some very disturbing and harrowing scenes which depicted animal cruelty that were extremely tough to watch. On a more positive note, I liked the way the film split its narrative into two arcs; it provided the audience with a very satisfying perspective shift.
Initially, I wasn't entirely convinced by the leading performance of Christopher Abbott. He felt a little bit wooden in his delivery, at first. However, as the film progressed, I got more comfortable with his acting style, and ended up enjoying his overall performance quite a bit. He was very good at showing a lot of emotion with his eyes. He was slightly outperformed by his co-star, but this was still a very respectable display from Abbott.
Like a lot of independent films at the moment, this one featured an appearance by highly acclaimed young Irish star Barry Keoghan. And such has often been the case in many of these films, Keoghan aced his performance. There is no denying the talent of the man, particularly when it comes to portraying realistic, flawed, and complex characters. Keoghan comes into his own when there is internal conflict, and he was superb at conveying that here.
The supporting cast more than pull their weight in their respective roles. I don't think anyone underperformed, per-se. Nora-Jane Noone was excellent, but I would've loved to have seen more of her. Colm Meaney provided a slightly bizarre, but well-acted, performance in his supporting role, whilst Paul Ready and Conor MacNeill were adequate, but not exceptional, in their antagonistic roles.
Overall, I thought this was an interesting film, though certainly not perfect. I found some scenes very difficult to watch, because of how emotionally upsetting they were, but I can't say it didn't make for captivating storytelling. The story surrounding those hard to watch scenes was not as strong, but I still enjoyed the film, on the whole. Either way, for what it's worth, I thought that this was a solid enough film.
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