BAD DAY FOR THE CUT
UK, 2017, 99 minutes, Colour.
Nigel O' Neill, Susan Lynch, Jozef Pawlowdki, Stuart Graham, David Pearse, Brian Milligan, Anna Prochniak, Ian Mc Elhinney.
Directed by Chris Baugh.
Quite an evocative title.
This is an Irish film, Northern Ireland, setting the 21st-century but with memories of The Troubles. However, the contemporary troubles concern crime and human trafficking.
The film creates an atmosphere, a farmer out in the countryside, the central character, Donal (Nigel O’ Neill) being a farmer, living alone with his mother who is murdered. Then there is an attempt by some thugs on Donal himself. He kills one but interrogates the other, a young Polish migrant who is in Ireland because his sister has been inducted abducted by human trafficking ring.
An old friend of Donal, a lawyer, shows him a photo and explains that it is mother who had a relationship with someone involved with the The Troubles whom she eventually reported to the authorities. The young Donal is in the photo but also a young girl, the man’s daughter, Frankie.
Frankie is filled with hate and resentment, has killed the authority to whom her father was reported, has organised the murder of Donal’s mother as well as the attempt on himself. She relies on a second in charge, Trevor, (Stuart Graham) but in petulance fires him.
The rest of the film is a kind of cat and mouse tracking between Donal and Frankie, the young Poll persuading Donal to go to the brothel and rescue’s sister, Frankie manoeuvring but outwitted by Donal, leading to a confrontation on the beach and death.
Interesting but also tough stuff.
1. An Irish story? Irish history in the 19th century? The North? Violence and Troubles? 21st-century story, crimes story?
2. The title and the killings?
3. Northern Ireland, the farm, the house, hotel, the countryside? The musical score?
4. Donal, his age, farmer, seeing him on the farm, with the cows? Living with his mother? Middle-aged, his memories? Not knowing about his mother?
5. The scene of Leo, dying in the hospital, Frankie’s presence? People reporting to him, his power and control, death?
6. Donal and his mother, her treatment of him? Her murder? His being upset, not knowing the facts, seeing the photo with Frankie and her father? His lawyer friend and in telling the stories? His mother, her affair, informing Leo, bringing on vengeance?
7. The plot to kill Donal, the masked men, Donal getting the better of them, the death? The confrontation with the Polish Bartosz? Letting him live? Getting the information from him? Bartosz joining him?
8. The situation, the human trafficking, women from Eastern Europe? The brothel, the management, the clients?
9. The character Frankie, with Trevor, her control, in the car, her vengeful woman, memories of her father and his betrayal and death, her love for her daughter? Rely on Trevor and the other thugs? And his being second in charge, Frankie dismissing him? The plans, developing the property, the trafficking?
10. The plans going awry, Bartosz and his help, the confrontation with the thugs, their deaths?
11. Frankie and her plans, sacking Trevor, relying on the others, tracking Donal?
12. Donal finding Frankie, the cat and mouse pursuit?
13. Bartosz, his sister and the trafficking, persuading Donald go to the profit, helping her escape, the confrontation is, the fights, the girl saving Donal by shooting?
14. Bartosz and his return, to rescue his sister, to help Donal?
15. The beach confrontation, Frankie and Donal, the revelations about the truth, the twists in the struggle, Donal letting Frankie go, the gun, her changing attitude, his shooting her?
16. His survival, future? The grim story?
