Bad Day for the Cut

The life of lonely, single, middle-aged farmer Donal (Nigel O'Neill) in rural Ireland is upended when his elderly mother is killed in what appears to be a home invasion gone wrong and he is ambushed by bumbling masked thugs who were sent to kill him. Someone wants him dead, so Donal heads to Belfast for both answers and revenge, leaving a trail of bodies on his way up the criminal ladder to the big boss (Susan Lynch) who ordered the murders. Along the way, he discovers that his ma wasn't quite as innocent as he had been led to believe. This lean, violent thriller from the U.K. adds a dark undercurrent of humor to its story of an otherwise mild-mannered farmer who proves surprisingly resourceful as he stumbles his way through a gang of human traffickers. Józef Pawlowski costars as a Polish immigrant whose sister is held prisoner by the gang. Director and co-writer Chris Baugh opts for clean and lean storytelling in this violent drama that doesn't belabor the irony that our hero's mission of revenge simply continues the cycle of vengeance. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)