It's always a glorious day when we can anticipate a brand new Martin McDonagh movie. The wonderfully scabrous playwright and filmmaker behind In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is once again set to tear the place up with his latest dark comedy, The Banshees of Inisherin. And the first trailer teases plenty of mordantly funny dialogue, plus McDonagh's signature uncomfortable set-pieces.
Glory be, we also have the joyous In Bruges pairing of Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell back on our screens. This time, however, they won't be punching Canadians or antagonising Belgian tower guards. Instead, McDonagh's new tale is the story of a previously rock-solid friendship gone horribly awry. How awry? Well, when there's the prospect of finger severing on the cards, you know it's gone south.
The movie is set on a remote, windswept Irish island where Colin Farrell's Pádraic is baffled by the mood change in his BFF Colm (Gleeson). The latter is insistent that he no longer wants to be mates with his former chum, although the exact reason is unclear in the trailer. Regardless, Colm is steadfast in his attitude, decrying Pádraic as a dullard and threatening to amputate his digits if he's not left alone.
It's a terrific double-act working with an intriguing premise and an Oscar-winning director who revels in keeping the audience off-balance. The superb supporting cast includes Eternals' Barry Keoghan and Better Caul Saul's Kerry Condon.
The Banshees of Inisherin will have its world premiere at this year's Venice Film Festival on September 4th before moving on to Toronto. This may be a harbinger of its awards potential, and given Three Billboards was a huge success on that front, Banshees will likely be positioned as a 2022 frontrunner.
The movie is set for release in America in October, although a UK date has yet to be announced. Check out the trailer and drop us your reactions @Cineworld.