Barry Keoghan's "powerful" Irish crime thriller is now streaming for free

An Irish crime thriller hailed as "powerful" and "grim" is streaming now for free on Channel 4. Directed by Nick Rowland, violent drama Calm with Horses follows ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis) as he becomes the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, while also trying to be a good father to his young, autistic son.

The cast includes Barry Keoghan as Dympna Devers, Arm's manipulative best friend and handler, and Niamh Algar as Ursula Dory, Arm's estranged ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son. Other stars include Ned Dennehy, Kiljan Moroney and David Wilmot.

Released in 2019, Calm with Horses marked Rowland's feature debut. The movie, written by Joe Murtagh, is adapted from the short story of the same name from the collection Young Skins by Colin Barrett.

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Also titled The Shadow of Violence, Calm with Horses received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and cinemagoers alike, holding a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The critics' consensus reads: "The Shadow of Violence presents a grimly effective portrait of one man's struggle with divided loyalties, elevated by standout performances from a stellar cast."

The Observer said in its review that Calm with Horses was "an immersive tale of tortured masculinity and divided loyalties that pulls the viewer right into the raging bull mindset of its haunted protagonist".

Metro wrote: "There's quite a bit you've seen before (eg, horses as symbols of hope) but it's shot with such confidence. And it's a breakthrough for Jarvis, who smoulders here with such wounded, inarticulate masculinity, he's being dubbed 'the new Marlon Brando'."

The Guardian echoed a similar sentiment, opining: "Perhaps the ending of the film is a little predictable, but a talented and well-directed cast keep this movie motoring along, and Jarvis is a fierce screen presence."

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NME called the movie "powerful", while Monocle hailed Calm with Horses as "visceral and wrenching."

Film-authority.com wrote: "There’s lots of angst, lots of macho bravado, and downcast, doom-laden behaviour. It’s grim, but it is effective, and Calm With Horses should propel Cosmo Jarvis to the top of any casting director’s wish-list."

The Digital Fix summarised: "This is a magnificently confident and impressive first feature for director Nick Rowland. It's a classically told tale of a man on the wrong side of the law, but with a good heart and extra blood-drenched knuckles."

Calm with Horses earned four nominations at the 2021 British Academy Film Awards, including Outstanding British Film and Best Supporting Actor (Keoghan).

Earlier this year, Keoghan starred in Netflix's Peaky Blinders movie The Immortal Man. The BAFTA winner is set to portray Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes's upcoming music biopic series The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event.

Calm with Horses is streaming now on Channel 4.

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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn