Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Calvary Blu-ray Movie Review

The road to redemption.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 9, 2014

The iconic 1950 noir D.O.A. (not to be confused with its lackluster 1988 remake) posited a fascinating scenario where the film’s hero knows he’s been poisoned and will die soon, and so sets out to discover who his “murderer” is. The frequently grim 2014 drama Calvary posits a somewhat similar setup, though the protagonist’s response to his impending demise is completely unlike the heroic efforts shown in D.O.A. Calvary’s main character is Father James (Brendan Gleeson), a parish priest who hears a shocking confession by someone traumatized over the Catholic church’s sexual abuse scandals. This unseen confessor then announces he’s going to kill the Father precisely because James was never involved in the scandal, as if to inflict a greater wound of responsibility. The confessor tells Father James that he'll give the Father a week before killing him, so that Father James can make his peace with God and get his affairs in order. That sets Calvary out on its own peculiar kind of religious quest, where James’ apparent resignation to his fate doesn’t hide the fact (and perhaps even increases it) that James is one tough cookie who takes life (and/or death) as it comes at him. With such an overtly provocative opening scene, Calvary might seem to be setting up an unusual but compelling whodunit, a la D.O.A. Perhaps strangely, then, the mystery angle turns out to be relatively unimportant to what ends up delivering the bulk of the undeniably hefty emotional import of Calvary, and that is the film’s relentless pursuit of the spectrum of faith, especially as filtered through Catholicism, and with a certain undeniable Irish spirit in at least most of the characters. A lot of industry pundits have been touting Michael Keaton’s performance in Birdman as one of the few “givens” in the upcoming Oscar race, but the Best Actor category might be surprisingly competitive based on the strength of Brendan Gleeson’s towering performance in a difficult, at times incredibly quiet but intense, role.

Calvary starts with one of the most uniquely and intentionally provocative interchanges in the annals of recent film (and perhaps well beyond). Father James sits listening in the confessional when a male states calmly if with obvious bitterness, “I first tasted semen when I was seven years old.” The confessor then goes on to quickly detail years of abuse at the hands of a priest, who is evidently now dead. The confessor actually asks what difference it would make even if the priest were still alive, after Father James suggests the victim could still make a report. The victim suggests that reporting an actual villain would do nothing, while killing a completely innocent priest (on a Sunday, no less) would make a statement. Father James seems resolute in his response, firmly cognizant of the threat and, if not sanguine, not overly panicked, either.

James confides in at least a couple of other characters, including the Church hierarchy and a local policeman, but already Calvary is revealing its philosophical and religious bents as the film flirts with its incipient mystery angle. (There’s really not that much of a mystery in any case, at least for those well versed in identifying voices.) What’s fascinating in some of these early interchanges is how writer-director John Michael McDonagh starts to peel back layers of the village, with little character beats given to characters like police Inspector Stanton (Gary Lydon), who is caught more or less in flagrante delicto with a young (and apparently drug infused) male when Father James shows up to requisition a gun. In fact, much of Calvary continues to play out in a series of interchanges between Father James and his rather unruly and at times savage parish.

There is a gaggle of variously flawed (and at times completely unrepentant) characters whom Father James attempts to counsel or at least cajole in what may be his final week of life. A local woman of ill repute named Veronica (Orla O’Rourke) is definitely getting beaten (as her black eye aptly proves), but it’s unclear whether the predator is her hapless butcher husband Jack (Chris O’Dowd) or her equally smarmy mechanic lover Simon (Isaach de Bankolé). A local millionaire named Michael (Dylan Moran) has discovered that, as that old adage states quite clearly, money can’t buy you happiness (let alone salvation). A young man named Milo (Killian Scott) can’t quite muster up the confidence to interact with women, and so decides to channel his growing rage into a life in the military. And Father James’ own daughter (from a marriage before he joined the priesthood), Fiona (Kelly Reilly), is a badly troubled young woman who has just failed at attempting suicide. Job had nothing on Father James.

The film is relentlessly dialectical in its pursuit of various topics, with Father James toeing the accepted doctrine of the church line, albeit with a certain gruff, no nonsense, “lived it and survived to tell the tale” honesty. But McDonagh gets to several thorny issues, including ending one’s life on one’s own terms and the evident rationality of atheism, in a surprisingly organic manner. The philosophical discussions erupt quite naturally out of the situations, even if Calvary tends to play out as a succession of character vignettes.

While Calvary may be a bit slow moving for some viewers, it is suffused with such truth and rough hewn beauty that its emotional impact really can’t be overstated. The film is full of absolutely pitch perfect performances, with Gleeson reaching a new career high with this role, after what many thought would have to be his all time apex, his turn in McDonagh’s previous The Guard. Matching him every step of the way is a beautifully vulnerable but stubborn Kelly Reilly as Fiona, in a performance that should certainly be rewarded with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. McDonagh captures the arresting if rather daunting beauty of the Irish countryside, while also detailing both the humor and horror of the Irish spirit.

The film may admittedly make at least a tiny misstep in its denouement, where McDonagh goes for something approaching Grand Guignol in a climax that sees the none too surprising reveal of the confessor-killer, and Father James’ final response to his mortality. He may not say it out loud, but Father James’ prayer for virtually every character in the film is an unspoken “forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Calvary Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Calvary is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. McDonagh and his cinematographer Larry Smith make the most of the gorgeous but still gritty Irish countryside, offering a number of stunning outdoor tableaux where characters are almost insignificant against the lush green hills and looming gray skies. The entire palette of the film is fairly subdued, with little pop in the traditional sense. Detail and fine detail are still excellent throughout the presentation (check out the pill on Fiona's green sweater, as well as the weave of her bandages, in the second screenshot). Indoor scenes typically offer above average shadow detail, and contrast is consistent throughout the film. There are no signs of problematic digital intrusion on the image, and no overt compression artifacts, either.

Calvary Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Calvary's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is rather subtle, offering gentle immersion courtesy of sometimes rather quiet ambient environmental effects, but providing a nice surround bed for Patrick Cassidy's evocative score (my hunch is this score will also receive an Academy Award nomination next year). Dialogue—and this film is chock full of talky bits—is presented very cleanly and clearly. There are no issues with dropouts, distortion or other problems. Fidelity is fine, but dynamic range is rather restrained.

Calvary Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Calvary: Behind the Scenes (1080p; 20:59) has some excellent interviews with Brendan Gleeson along with several other cast members, along with some behind the scenes footage.


• Promotional Featurettes include:

  A Matter of Faith (1080p; 4:28) is short but interesting, featuring a compelling look at the issues facing Father James after he's told he'll be murdered in a week's time.

  The Role of a Good Priest (1080p; 3:27) plays on the meaning of its title, looking at both functions Father James plays in the film as well as the character Gleeson performs.

  A Father and His Daughter (1080p; 3:47) examines the relationship between the Gleesen and Reilly characters.

• Gallery (1080p; 2:50) features both Auto and Manual Advance options.

Calvary Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gentle, scabrous, humorous, tragic—Calvary delivers the gamut of human emotions and experience in an often devastating film that is both thought provoking and incredibly moving. Brendan Gleeson is absolutely towering in this role and creates one of the most unforgettable characters of this cinematic year. Michael Keaton had better not be dusting off his "Oscar shelf" just yet. Technical merits are first rate, and Calvary comes Highly recommended.