Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Peter McDonald, Peter Caffrey, Tony Doyle
Director: Paddy Breathnach
Producer: Robert Walpole
Screenplay: Conor McPherson
Cinematography: Cian de Buitlear
Music: Dario Marianelli
U.S. Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
I Went Down takes a couple of likable criminals from the Quentin Tarantino Rogues Gallery and deposits them in the midst of a combination dark comedy/road picture. The result is an occasionally-diverting but overly-familiar exploration of life on the wrong side of the law. However, although the plot tends to drag and never really goes anywhere significant, the two main characters are developed well enough to hold our attention. Plus, the setting – an Ireland where The Troubles are never mentioned – is sufficiently interesting to help stave off boredom.
I Went Down is definitely not plot-driven. The storyline is both unspectacular and derivative. In essence, it seems almost like an afterthought added to give the characters a reason to stick together and interact with a couple of other interesting thugs – they're dynamic individuals trapped by a stock narrative. Those in search of a twisty tale of intrigue and betrayal, or anything equally devious and delicious, will be disappointed. (Well, there is some betrayal, but it's not unexpected or earthshaking.)
Git Hynes (Peter McDonald) and Bunny Kelly (Brendan Gleeson) are Palookaville-bound crooks who owe debts to crime boss Tom French (Tony Doyle). French, not one to let a marker go unclaimed, decides to collect by sending the two men to make a money pickup from a supposed associate named Frank Grogan (Peter Caffrey). Along the way, Git and Bunny strike up an off- key friendship and engage in a few nefarious deeds (like stealing cars and robbing a gas station). Neither is a skilled lawbreaker – Bunny can't pick locks with someone watching him and Git has never fired a gun – but, as time passes, they get better. Unfortunately, they're not good enough, as becomes apparent when they finally locate Frank and discover that the pickup isn't as simple as they expected it to be.
Without a doubt, the best thing about I Went Down is the dialogue, which is intelligently- written and serves to build the characters, rather than pad out the running length. There are some wonderful conversations between Peter, Git, and Bunny, as the latter two hold the older man hostage. There's also a quietly effective scene between Git and a woman he picks up in a bar for a one-night stand. The post-sex conversation between these two is natural and unforced.
Both Brendan Gleeson and Peter McDonald are fresh faces on this side of the ocean. Each acquits himself well by fashioning a character with a streak of toughness and an even wider streak of vulnerability. Gleeson and McDonald play well off one another, developing the kind of "buddy" relationship that forms the backbone of countless cops-and-robbers motion pictures. In supporting roles, Peter Caffrey is excellent as the suave, smooth-talking Frank, and Tony Doyle is suitably menacing as the stone-faced, "don't mess with me" French. It's also worth mentioning that some of the most potentially-interesting characters have small roles. Many of these individuals – Git's old girlfriend, his one-night stand, a hitman who gets outsmarted – are intriguing enough to have deserved more screen time than they were accorded by the script.
I Went Down has comic overtones, but it's not an overtly funny film, and the biggest laughs are chuckles, not guffaws. The caper aspect is lackluster, resulting in an especially flat and anticlimactic conclusion. Yet, through it all, Git and Bunny remain engaging and accessible. As a result, the movie left me with mixed feelings. On balance, I'd have to say that this is a better video pick than a theatrical choice. Considering that Artisan Entertainment is only offering a limited release, the small screen is probably where most interested viewers will have the chance to see it, anyway.
© 1998 James Berardinelli