Robert Walpole Movies
Five American college students experience a particularly bad trip while vacationing in Ireland and partaking of the local hallucinogenic fungi in director Paddy Breathnach's tripped-out tale of sex, drugs, and slashers. Upon arriving in Ireland to go camping with their old college buddy Jake, Americans Tara, Troy, Holly, Bluto, and Lisa and their host eagerly set out into the wilderness in search of some magic mushrooms. As the trip starts to take hold and the group gathers around the campfire, Tara begins to wonder if she took too strong of a dose after Bluto goes missing, and she feels as if she's somehow witnessed his death. When other members of the group go missing as well, it begins to appear that someone is stalking the group and taking murderous advantage of their altered state. Could it be that this is just a simple case of hallucinogenic panic, or is there an element of truth to Jake's troubling stories of mutilated bodies and unsolved murders in the Irish countryside? The only way to be certain is for Tara to fight for her life and try to maintain her sanity until the morning sun rises and the reality returns. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston, (more)
A young boy from a broken home learns the harsh realities of life after adopting an awkward greyhound and befriending a mysterious figure from his mother's past in this tender coming of age story starring Gillian Anderson, Robert Carlyle, and Tyrone McKenna. Donal (McKenna) and his single mother Kate (Anderson) share a small home in Belfast. When their finances start to dwindle, Donal goes to work for local dog trainer Good Joe (Ken Stott) to help make ends meet. Despite the benevolence that his name implies, Good Joe is anything but, and has a reputation for going back on his word. So when Good Joe recognizes Donal's special connection to dogs and offers him the "Mighty Celt" if the canine can win three races in a row, the boy is understandably wary. Things start to look up, however, as the races get underway and a man named O (Carlyle) returns to strike up a warm friendship with Donal. It's obvious from the onset that Good Joe is suspicious of O, and Donal's mother Kate makes no secret of the fact that she would rather O had never returned to town. In the aftermath of a dramatic revelation that will change the lives of all involved, young Donal learns that not all stories have a happy ending. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gillian Anderson, Robert Carlyle, (more)
- 2000
Trendy young playwright and screenwriter Conor McPherson (I Went Down, 1997) makes his directing debut with this understated comedy. Widowed fish-and-chips shop owner George Beneventi (Brian Cox) lives in a sleepy coastal town along with his three children. Eldest son Frank (Peter McDonald) helps with the shop, college student Carmel (Valerie Spelman) is involved with a lecherous philosophy professor, and younger brother Joe (Laurence Kinlan) causes trouble at school. Being the off-season, George is having a hard time gathering the funds to pay his smooth but deadly bookie, "Simple" Simon McCurdie (Brendan Gleeson). Frank, who seethes with the knowledge that his dad is indebted to the thug, stages an inept though miraculously successful robbery of the criminal's lair. Meanwhile, Joe befriends Damien, the new kid in town, only to discover that his pal is a psychopath. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter McDonald, Brian Cox, (more)
This is a documentary about two years in the life of Francis Barrett, a talented travelling boxer from a small Irish town. Barrett's life runs like a fairy tale. He qualifies for the Irish Olympic team for Atlanta in 1996 and gets to carry the Irish flag during the ceremony. He wins the first bout and loses the second, but he is already a hero. After the games, he gets married and moves to London. He is tempted to go professional, but he is determined to participate in the Sydney Olympics. But to fulfill his potential he has to give up his coach from his childhood, the local barber Chick Gillen, and find himself a more qualified coach. A "southpaw," as explained at the beginning of the film, is a boxer who leads with the right hand and punches with the left, a metaphor for the travelling boxers who keep moving on, being treated as underachievers. The film's high point arrives when the hero returns from the Olympics. As a husband and a father, he has to deal with the nitty gritty of daily life. The film captures the tension as well as monotony in the life of a boxer. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- 1997
- R
This Irish-British road movie follows the misadventures of some Irish ex-cons. When Dublin hood Tom French (Tony Doyle) comes down hard on slow-witted Anto (David Wilmot), Git (Peter McDonald) intervenes and then is assigned a mission. He is ordered to travel to Cork to bring back French's friend Frank Grogan (Peter Caffrey) and the money Frank in holding. Along for the ride is French's associate Bunny (Brendan Gleeson). The two rescue Grogan from gunmen, but Grogan claims to know nothing about any money, only about his 18-month affair with French's wife. Thus, uncertainty looms on the horizon as the three drive back to Dublin. Shown at the 1997 Edinburgh Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Gleeson, Peter McDonald, (more)
