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Shepherds and Butchers

Play trailer Poster for Shepherds and Butchers R 2016 1h 46m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
60% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A lawyer (Steve Coogan) takes on the murder case of a prison guard traumatized by the executions he took part in.

Critics Reviews

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Bruce DeMara Toronto Star 02/02/2017
3/4
The performances are solid, including Coogan and especially Garion Dowds as the laconic and mournful defendant. Director Oliver Schmitz gives the film a measured pace, stoking tension as the courtroom drama unfolds. Go to Full Review
Jordan Mintzer The Hollywood Reporter 02/14/2016
The film mostly preaches to the converted, even if it reveals with historical gravity how capital punishment was another way that apartheid severely discriminated against South Africa's black population. Go to Full Review
Henry Barnes Guardian 02/14/2016
2/5
Shepherds and Butchers doesn't know which it is: the twisty legal drama that's going to herd us through the issue or the ferocious expose, laying out the quotidian grimness of systemic death. Go to Full Review
Anne Brodie What She Said 08/24/2018
Coogan, known as a comic actor, does solid dramatic work and Garion Dowds' accused is living in a palpable living hell. He knows no one can be a shepherd and a butcher and stay sane. Go to Full Review
Yago García Cinemanía (Spain) 11/16/2017
2.5/5
Oliver Schmitz's film... does not clarify what he wants to be. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Norman Wilner NOW Toronto 02/01/2017
2/5
There's a powerful movie to be made about the range of lives destroyed by the apartheid system -- both Black and white -- but Shepherds And Butchers isn't it. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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David J Mar 2 Just because it's hard to watch does not mean we should turn away. Superbly done. Commendations to Steve Coogan lending his name and exceptional acting gifts to this small but important movie. See more 03/13/2021 Solid and powerful movie. It really shows how mental health must be addressed before an incident arises and not afterwards. Intense, thought provoking and intense. This movie is a must watch. See more 08/21/2020 An almost monotone narrative against such a macabre story, could be seen as lacklustre. I'm not sure With a little more energy behind the direction, it'd have a lot more emotion, though I also think the nature of the story lends itself well to a sombre tone, which Coogan delivers really well See more flixster f 04/05/2020 Couldn't exploit the facts well enough. A courtroom drama needs to be engaging and this one wasn't. Given the circumstances, the case didn't make sense. Or was it open to interpretation?! Anyways, watching it once shouldn't hurt. See more 03/02/2019 An almost unknown film about how a 17 year old put on death row duty in South Africa just be the fall of apartheid was eaten away by what he saw and did. PLayed against stereotypes by making the victim a white guy who have been executing black guys makes tricky to get a handle on, but the unrelenting focus wins through and a good film emerges. See more 02/13/2019 Great film. Great story, great script and great acting. Very emotional and thought provoking. Nice to see a film with actual substance for a change. See more Read all reviews
Shepherds and Butchers

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Movie Info

Synopsis A lawyer (Steve Coogan) takes on the murder case of a prison guard traumatized by the executions he took part in.
Director
Oliver Schmitz
Producer
Brian Cox, Anant Singh
Screenwriter
Brian Cox
Production Co
Distant Horizon, Videovision Entertainment
Rating
R (Violent and Disturbing Content)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 24, 2017
Runtime
1h 46m