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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
INTERMISSION
A tale of intermingling lives in modern Dublin, Intermission stars Colin Farrell as the
volatile Lehiff, a petty thief in search of his next heist. Meanwhile, his friend John (Murphy) has
broken up with Deirdre (Macdonald), the girl he still loves. She immediately turns to Sam
(McElhatton), essentially John's opposite, an older and married banker. After being fired and
catching wind of Deirdre's new relationship, John joins forces with Lehiff to make some quick
money - by robbing Sam’s bank. Some of the other working-class characters include Deirdre’s
lightly-mustached sister Sally (Henderson), embittered by a horrific breakup, and John's best
friend, Oscar. Lonely and dejected, he tries to find a girlfriend by visiting a singles club
frequented by older and aggressive vixens, like Sam’s deserted wife Noeleen (O’Kane).
The movie is actually much less confusing as it unravels, somewhat gracefully, under newcomer
John Crowley's direction. With separate plots converging and a sardonic tone, it is essentially a
poor man’s Pulp Fiction or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. But
Intermission is less interested in style and violence as the enforcer of fate, emphasizing,
instead, how relationships do work out, in this case, for the best. The characters are eventually
paired off, and you can guess who ends up with whom. The writing in this quirky comedy is at
times subtle and generally unimpeachable, but the acting is what holds together this gritty
pseudo-documentary. Farrell’s performance is especially refreshing, perhaps his
most realized and charismatic role to date. The film’s quick-editing style and its sometimes
mean-spirited sense of humor may be off-putting to some viewers, but the tension is released by
the mostly tidy and felicitous ending (except for the last violent plot twist). As John would say,
“not f-----’ bad.” Joel Whitney, screenwriter/poet, teaches at Fordham University
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