One man’s ruthless pursuit of justice plays out against the darkest chapter of Irish history in this riveting revenge thriller.
In 1847, battle-hardened soldier Feeney (James Frecheville) deserts the British army to return home to Ireland, where he finds his country ravaged beyond recognition by the Great Famine. When he discovers that his mother has died of starvation and his brother has been hanged by the British, something snaps, sending Feeney on a relentless quest to get even with the powers-that-be who have wronged both his family and his country. There is only one man who can stop Feeney’s bloody crusade: disgraced British army veteran Hannah (Hugo Weaving), whose own loyalties may be more complex than they appear.
Set during the nadir of Ireland’s Great Famine, this searing new film from director Lance Daly is structured like a classic Western. Rooted in history but realized with the sweep of fable, BLACK 47 tells a riveting tale of hardship and revenge.
“This may well be the first encounter international audiences will have had with the Great Hunger, and for them Daly delivers a resonant, beautifully performed Irish Western that benefits from the exotic sound of Irish Gaelic spoken as a living language, and the brackish majesty of cinematographer Declan Quinn’s wide vistas.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety
