Calvary

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Calvary

R

Released Aug 1, 2014

1h 45m

Drama

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

169 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

An honest and good-hearted priest (Brendan Gleeson) wrestles with a cynical, spiteful community after he receives a death threat from an unknown parishioner.

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Critics Consensus

Led by a brilliant performance from Brendan Gleeson, Calvary tackles weighty issues with humor, intelligence, and sensitivity.

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Kate Muir

Times (UK)

It's Gleeson who gives the performance of a lifetime as the priest.

Dec 31, 2017

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Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

The tension of Calvary is fitful at best, and much of the movie trips into silliness, but in Brendan Gleeson -- in his proud bearing and his lamenting gaze -- we see the plight of the lonely believer in a world beyond belief.

Sep 22, 2014

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Tom Long

Detroit News

Brendan Gleeson delivers a typically towering yet warm performance in "Calvary." Too bad the movie's something of a mess.

Rated: C

Aug 15, 2014

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JD Duran

InSession Film

Father James’ story is intriguing, provocative and one of the best experiences I’ve had in 2014.

Rated: A+

Aug 19, 2024

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Brendan Cassidy

InSession Film

A challenging film, but absolutely worth your time.

Jun 17, 2024

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Gleeson, the veritable linchpin of this layered but slyly simple character study. The man strikes every note with an unmistakable honesty that comes through in each thoughtful response, in each perplexed expression, and each tired and weary sigh.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 19, 2022

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Jean Anne P

Whoever wrote the script is remarkably intelligent. The plot is smart and unassuming but it's the dialogue that really brings this film to life with an extraordinary cast. The cinematography is subtly beautiful and the score is calm. The pace is a touch slow but stuck with it and it'll be worth it. A hauntingly beautiful film that'll have you thinking long after the credits roll...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/24/24

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MG_Claymore C

A Great man who has to pay the price for the sins of another. This actor in this film gives the performance of a lifetime. its a very depressing film about dark subject matter. Very gripping. Everyone in the film is a horrible character with the exception of the aforementioned priest. The priest in this film becomes very Christlike as he serves his community knowing the day is coming when this man is going to kill him. He simply accepts in. Truly amazing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

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Meghan M

Loved it unto the very end. I hate a movie that doesn't get tone right.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/18/24

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Chris H

There just isn't enough to this. Brendan Gleeson is, of course, excellent but the other characters are underdeveloped and melt into the background. Maybe it would have been better as a TV series?

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/12/24

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Alec B

It's sadder and more measured than I anticipated. Once you realize that the "murder mystery in a town of weirdos" plot is just an excuse to examine the difficulty and necessity of simple decency in a indifferent world the film becomes more moving.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

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L. N

As an Irish person, this film makes me cringe. The calibre of the cast cannot be denied, but the tone of the film is curdled by its attempts to be profound. The scenes with Aiden Gillen's character attempting to be scathingly insightful with regard to the church's past is painful (and that accent he is doing and the way he is speaking....what the fuck???? It seems his point of view is supposed to carry intellectual weight, but is delivered so badly, so ludicrously that he is like a weaselly, snide Disney character). It is an early taste of the adolescent, self-congratulatory reasoning we have had to become familiar with in the last decade. The film sets out to be wise and thoughtful and cuts itself down with silly overwrought dialogue. Thank God the Banshees of Inisherin came along to pull things back on track.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/08/23

Full Review

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John Michael McDonagh

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James Lavelle

Chris O'Dowd

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Synopsis

An honest and good-hearted priest (Brendan Gleeson) wrestles with a cynical, spiteful community after he receives a death threat from an unknown parishioner.

Director: John Michael McDonagh
Producer: Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez-Marengo, James Flynn
Screenwriter: John Michael McDonagh
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Reprisal Films, Irish Film Board, Octagon Films, Lipsync Productions
Rating: R (Language|Brief Strong Violence|Sexual References|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.6M
Runtime: 1h 45m

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