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Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

With such a stellar cast, I expected better, but it was as if someone came up with the idea of putting a bunch of well-known Irish actors together, throw in a couple of Americans to keep them happy, and create two-dimensional unlikable characters around a Catholic priest, but who add nothing meaningful to the story. I didn't see the point of the movie at all and felt I'd wasted my time. *spoiler* A man threatens to kill the priest, burns down the church, then kills the priest. *end spoiler* Yes, it was about child abuse by members of the Catholic church, but this movie contributed nothing at all to the debate - *spoiler* a nutter kills a good priest *end spoiler*. And if it was supposed to be a surprise at who had threatened him, it wasn't. I knew the voice of the actor right at the beginning.

As this film opens Father James is taking confession; an unseen voice tells him that he was abused as a child and he intends to kill Fr James the following Sunday. He does not blame Fr James for what happened to him; he just believes that it is appropriate that a good priest should die for the sins of a bad one. FR James discusses the matter with his bishop and says he knows who it was that made the threat but doesn't do anything to report him even after the bishop insists that such a threat isn't covered by the sanctity of the confessional. Over the following week he continues to minister to his parishioners although they aren't interested in what he has to say; taking Sunday communion seems to be all the religion they want. He also has his daughter, from before he took holy orders, come to visit him following a failed suicide attempt. During the week somebody burns his church to the ground; it would appear that the threat was serious.Given that this stars Brendan Gleeson in the leading role one might expect an enjoyable dark comedy like 'In Bruges' or 'The Guard' however this is much bleaker. There are some laughs to be had but for the most part there is just the feeling that protagonist Fr James is doomed and that most of the people he deals with in his rural Irish parish don't want him interfering with the way they live their lives but expect him to listen to their troubles without judging them. Brendan Gleeson is great in the lead role; he makes the characters just a little world-weary but still someone who wants to do what is right. The rest of the cast are pretty solid making us believe in their flawed characters… even if it is a little hard to believe that so many damaged people could reside in one small community in County Sligo. The setting, beautiful, rugged and somewhat bleak adds to the sense of foreboding. Overall I'd certainly recommend this although I'd caution that you have to be in the right mood; it certainly isn't a feel-good movie.

To make it short, this is a brilliant script with amazing performances, but if you want to truly get depressed and hate the ending, go for it. Gleeson is brilliant as always, but I left this movie feeling completely vacant of any positive outcomes and any sign of love of life. Yes, the problems of the church are of no secret when it comes to the acts of abuse upon young boys from some of the priests, but we have seen this time and time again over the years and this one just was too tough for me, as the only person that I was really rooting for does not get the satisfaction that he deserves. Make no mistake, this film is greatly written and wonderfully acted and directed. Gleeson is such a natural actor who fills every role with his amazing ability to play any character. Just be ready for a ride on the negativity train throughout.

Calvary is a movie with a dark humor, opening with a quote by Saint Augustine: "Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume; one of the thieves was damned." Eternal salvation versus eternal damnation.The movie starts with Father James (Gleeson) listening a confession from a man whom we don't see and who tells a story about how he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest since he was 7 years old. The man tells Father James that he will take vengeance for his sufferings by killing a good priest (he means Father James) and gives him a week to put his affairs in order. During that week, Father James keeps trying to help his congregation while listening to their confessions and sometimes witnessing their wrongdoings, and slowly, losing his temper.McDonagh brothers are certainly very talented writers and they surely love Irish actor Brendan Gleeson who stars in John Michael McDonagh's Calvary. After watching him "In Bruge", "The Guard" and finally in "Calvary", who can argue with them? He is a brilliant and versatile actor whose screen presence is huge and undeniable. Calvary is a movie well worth watching.