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Calvary

Play trailer Poster for Calvary R 2014 1h 45m Drama Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 167 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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Calvary

Calvary

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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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Critics Reviews

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Kate Muir The Times (UK) 12/31/2017
It's Gleeson who gives the performance of a lifetime as the priest. Go to Full Review
Anthony Lane The New Yorker 09/22/2014
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. Go to Full Review
Tom Long Detroit News 08/15/2014
C
Brendan Gleeson delivers a typically towering yet warm performance in "Calvary." Too bad the movie's something of a mess. Go to Full Review
Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson Jul 17
4/5
With that crafted tone, McDonagh's film feels like a religious-tinged western and a good one too. Go to Full Review
JD Duran InSession Film 08/19/2024
A+
Father James’ story is intriguing, provocative and one of the best experiences I’ve had in 2014. Go to Full Review
Brendan Cassidy InSession Film 06/17/2024
A challenging film, but absolutely worth your time. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jean Anne P Dec 24 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... See more MG_Claymore C 11/14/2024 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. See more Meghan M 03/18/2024 Loved it unto the very end. I hate a movie that doesn't get tone right. See more Chris H 01/12/2024 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? See more Alec B 12/13/2023 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. See more L. N 12/08/2023 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. See more Read all reviews
Calvary

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Movie Info

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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