Tom Patton

Ralph Fiennes is an actor I would watch in anything because I trust his judgment of the script. This movie is a long journey to get to the quality I expected but it does deliver in the end as virtually everything Fiennes has chosen in his career.

In lesser hands this dark and non fictional film could be maudlin and self serving. It could also be the typical “ The Catholic Church is evil and burn all the clergy for the evil actions of a minority of the sum total.” This exquisite small film is exactly the opposite of that . It is brilliant piece of cinema that is profoundly disturbing and affecting in tandem. Murphy is a talent like no other. He is an actor at the very top of his game no matter what the genre of film he chooses to perform in. He wears the character he is inhabiting and you literally feel the cold, the uncertainty, the lack self confidence and indecision come through the screen from his character and inhabit you the viewer. Murphy is such a gifted auteur it is almost defies belief. The director sets the tone and atmosphere so compellingly and Murphy inhabits this world seamlessly with all the requisite emotional nuances in perfect balance in nearly silent screams of terror and insecurity. This is what all small cinema should aspire to be. I give it 10 stars because it is presented and performed at twice the normal limits of top marks. It took me back to the pre streaming days of Tuesday , my only day off, going to the West End throw back tickets and sitting in cold, dark and yet beautiful small theater to watch a hopeful and new talent present a similar small production to produce a slice of magic for the theatre going public.Then afterwards grabbing the cheapest takeaway available and hopping on the tub to my Earls Court rented room to watch “Truly,Madly,Deeply” on my 10 inch B&W Telly in my 50 square foot lap of luxury. To be forthright and direct I well add this final thought: if you do like this film that falls on your shoulders because you are just incapable of appreciating the finest of artistic work on display and have the typical attention span of a mobile obsessed , instant gratification in 10 words or less and could actually get bored watching an 80 minute master class in nuanced story telling. I feel so sorry for you and your ilk because true pleasure escapes you at every turn……

Thought provoking with excellent performances. Ben Mendelsohn has become an actor who I watch because I trust his ability to pick excellent material regardless of the genre. The cast and director saw something unique and different from the usual scripts in this genre, a genre I usually avoid except when I saw Mendelsohn was attached. I got lucky with this one. I recommend watching it and forming your own opinion…. Ms. Woodley is becoming a generational talent who is very serious about her craft- an excellent performance and choice as well……

Exceptional and highly overlooked. The cast is off the charts…..!

This is in my humble opinion is the greatest tribute to the strange humanity inside of virtually everyone trying to get out. I feel that this is the one Christmas movie all adolescents and those past that age should be required to watch. It is a true story of about the spontaneous humanity that lies in virtually every human beings soul. No Santa Claus, no reindeer no elves, just a story of real people who in the unending process of doing the real dirty work of their leaders decided for one night in December 1914 to lay down their weapons they were trying to kill each other with and honor the traditions and words they most likely heard every Sunday as children and on into adulthood with a real act of spontaneous humanity. If you do not get moved by that or try to come up with some clever quick counter-quip about what I have said about this true event ( like the persons behind the one star reviews here) then you will understand why I had to use the word “virtually “ twice above……

Solid writing with a fantastic cast…..

Thomas Rongen , who I knew and was around in the South Florida soccer scene in the last years of the 20th century, (feels fun to say that) played by a hyper intense Michael Fassbender and getting the impression pretty much spot on- what's not to like????? Only Taika Watiti's quirky Kiwi sensibilities could get this so right and rich! The loving and warm South Pacific culture is plus and a key ingredient as well. Enjoy!

An enigma and a genius because of it!

I love this show. The way it pushes boundaries without forcing it down your throat is just magic. My enjoyment from watching it never ceases. It is wonderful we have a new season because I really feared it would not return........