Bring Them Down (2025) is directed by Chris Andrews, who also wrote the script alongside Jonathan Hourigan. It stars Christopher Abbott, Barry Keoghan, Colm Meaney, Nora-Jane Noone, Paul Ready, Aaron Heffernen, Susan Lynch, Conor MacNeill, Adam Behan, and Diarmuid de Faoite. The film follows Michael (Abbott) and Jack (Keoghan), the sons of two neighboring Irish shepherds who find themselves at odds when Michael discovers his family’s herd slaughtered in cold blood. When their conflict escalates to the point of no return, Michael and Jack are forced to experience firsthand the idea that violence only begets further violence.

Although Michael isn’t given much dialogue, the character ultimately works because of Abbott. He plays these kinds of stoic, tortured personalities extremely well, but I just wish Michael were a more interesting character. Thankfully, Jack is a much more compelling presence. Keoghan’s simplistic, almost childlike cadences are nothing new for the actor, but they are perfect for the character. Jack commits some heinous acts throughout the film, but we’re always able to empathize with him because his motivations are pure. He’s too simple to anticipate cause and effect, so he only sees the error of his ways once it’s too late. If Keoghan’s performance didn’t effectively convey Jack’s immature/simplistic nature, the character quite simply wouldn’t work. 

Mostly, the film shows the same events from Jack and Michael’s perspectives while avoiding the mistakes of awful “multiple perspectives” films like Vantage Point (2008). This succeeds in meaningfully shifting the viewer’s perspective about halfway through. It also makes it clear that this is a story without heroes or villains – just humans pushed to their limits who make terrible mistakes. Unfortunately, the choice feels unnecessary because it provides nothing that a more traditional timeline wouldn’t. Cutting between these characters in chronological order would’ve greatly improved the pace and avoided abandoning key characters for awkwardly long periods of time. It also doesn’t help that when the film hops back in time, it fails to make it clear to the viewer. It’s something that shouldn’t be jarring, but it is and strangely feels intentional. What’s the pro of making the timeline confusing for the viewer? 

    This is an angry, bleak, and unsettling film that allows for some strong human drama, but it’s ultimately so dark and serious that it’s tough to enjoy the action-centric revenge-thriller elements. On one hand, I appreciate that the film challenges the viewer regarding who to root for, but on the other hand, it once again hinders any opportunity for pure action entertainment/fun. Neither of these characters’ actions throughout the film feel fully justified, so it’s almost impossible to feel good about anything they do. There’s also a pervasive amount of animal cruelty that was tough for me to stomach, and I’m not particularly a pet/animal guy. That being said, the animal cruelty leans more toward effectively disturbing than tastelessly violent. It’s prevalent, but never feels unnecessary because it’s what the entire story is centered around. Unfortunately, all this bleak subject matter leads to an ending that isn’t happy, but is still probably the most “positive” moment in the film. I understand going for a truly happy ending to balance all the darkness, and I also understand making the ending as bleak as possible in an attempt to double down. What I don’t understand is splitting the difference. Along with the fact that the ending doesn’t provide any compelling ideas/messages, it’s clear that the writers had no idea how to end the film in a satisfying or unique way. 

Overall, this is a perfectly watchable revenge thriller as long as the viewer doesn’t mind some bleak subject matter. That being said, the film reeks of a writer/director who makes daring choices, but fails to ask himself how they support/improve the story he’s trying to tell. When also considering the predictable and yawn-worthy ending, it’s a tough film to recommend. Thankfully, strong performances from Abbott and especially Keoghan elevate the film above “forgettable” status. Even if it doesn’t entirely work, I have to give the film props for trying something different in terms of chronology. Other than that, it’s probably a movie best saved for people who need a safe way to vent the anger they feel for their shitty neighbors. C+