Noirland is a new film
made in the North coast, particularly in Coleraine, which premiered during the
14th Belfast Film Festival. Written and directed by local author
Philip Henry, Noirland is an anthology film containing three crime
stories that are linked by characters and events.
Three policemen Detectives
Marshall, Cranston and Robinson (Neill Virtue, Andy Porter and Richard
Sherwood) met in a police bar on the day of Officer Kerry White’s (Carleen
Melaugh) funeral. Each tells a story, which do not initially seem to have any
connection but which slowly weaves a single web of murder, corruption and
guilt. Disgraced ex-cop Marshall relates the investigation into Molly
Macadori’s (Julie Virtue) murder. His partner Detective Carter (Conor Barr)
suggests they hire medium Rosie (Elza Margrain) to help them out when they run
out of leads. This leads to some unwelcome revelations. Cranston then tells a
story about the last case he worked on alongside Officer White before she was
killed. A seemingly content couple, the Crandalls (Robert Render and Liza
Ackermann) are alarmed when their daughter Karen (Aimee Brett) goes missing. It
turns out that she has been kidnapped and is given only a few hours to live
unless they confess to a crime they have apparently committed. But neither of
them know of what crime they are suspected and time is running out. Robinson
then relates the events of that very day, including the circumstances of
White’s death and his own attempts at revenge.
Structurally, the film is most
reminiscent of Pulp Fiction and Sin City, the latter most
particularly in the figure of the corrupt Mayor (Thomas J Smyth) whose
influence is felt in all three stories. Tonally, the film runs in a similar
vein as well, since it is mix of dark, violent scenes undercut with comic
moments, most of which are not quite successful here. However, the film’s main
forbears are probably the other low-to-no budget independent productions in
Northern Ireland – Michael MacBroom’s Endless Life, Kieran Majury’s Deadville
and Michael McNulty’s Toothbrush. Deadville and Toothbrush
were competently made films – particularly since they got made at all – but
suffered from awkward tonal shifts and a certain lack of finesse in their
filmmaking. Noirland improves on both of them for its intricate plotting
and (mostly) short and to-the-point scenes, but it does equally suffer from
dodgy dialogue and some poor editing.
The middle story is probably the
best, being a chamber piece set almost entirely inside a police station
interview room. The tension builds palpably as time runs out and every wrong
answer – every false crime admitted to – costs them half an hour. The other two
stories are less successful. The first story feels slightly out of place with
its supernatural elements and a twist that takes a little too much explaining.
The third story is better, though it relies on the villain’s stupidity way too
much (failing to remove vital evidence from two separate crime scenes) and it
also hard to believe that Detective Robinson went to the police bar so soon
after his vicious (though poorly put together) fight with the monolithic Mr
Stone (Shane McCaffery). Or that he can go to work at the police station in
Coleraine a full day after the murder of another Coleraine police officer and
have heard nothing about it.
The dialogue is full of
exposition and is overly descriptive – characters will tell us what they are
thinking rather than reveal it through looks and gestures. The flirting scenes
between Robinson and Kerry White are tin-eared, as is one scene in which Carter
and the Mayor reminisce. In one bizarre sequence outside the medium’s house it
is established that Detective Carter believes in mediums while Detective
Marshall is sceptical. But when they go inside their roles are reversed and suddenly
Carter is a non-believer and thinks it is a waste of time while Marshall is
willing to give her a chance. The way in which Detective Cranston and the bar
man at the policeman’s pub (Michael Killen) talk about White on the day of her
funeral (to paraphrase - “She was a lovely young woman. And the guys at the
station were always chatting her up. But she was never a bitch about it…”) is
hopelessly sexist. Indeed, practically every female character in the film is
either sexualised or victimized or both. One of the more uncomfortable jokes in
the film involving a prostitute called Cherry Picker (Jenny Marshall) is also,
unfortunately writer-director Philip Henry’s cameo.
The actors are all largely good,
though they do suffer from underwritten characters and poor dialogue. Robert
Render, Liza Ackermann, Andrew Porter and Carleen Melaugh are all very good as
the second story reaches its climax – though Ackermann clearly has little to do
when Detective Cranston strangely asks her character to leave the room to make
them coffee, despite the fact that her daughter is soon to be murdered. Porter
suffers some dodgy dialogue elsewhere, as does Neill Virtue. Richard Sherwood
is good as well, though his character’s grief and thirst for revenge are not
allowed the time to develop into much beyond a plot point.
Some scenes could be edited down
to make them more snappy and better paced and the blocking leads to some
difficult shots – such as one in which Carter is speaking but the camera is
trained on Rosie’s back or another in which we stare at the back of Marshall’s
head while two other totally obscured actors leave a room. Though minor, these
problems do make the film seem a little less professionally made as it does
otherwise appear.
Noirland then is an
impressive achievement, and it certainly played to a packed and enthusiastic
audience, but one that remains somewhat awkward and not as well made as it
might have been. It has an intricate and interesting storyline but it is full
of poor dialogue and badly thought out, stilted camerawork. It is also in need
of much pacier editing. Nonetheless it is a notable addition to Northern Irish
independent cinema and local cinema is all the better for it.
Noirland plays
as part of the 14th Belfast Film Festival at the Movie House, Dublin
Road, on 30 March.
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