lastliberal James Frain (Sunshine, Reindeer Games) plays what is probably the most vicious criminal around. He forces Eriq Ebouaney (Hitman, Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse), a bank security guard, to assist him in a robbery or his family will suffer. The cops are on him almost immediately, but he can't talk.They take his wife (Fatou N'Diaye) and son as hostages, and he lets them into the bank, but they were not prepared for his next step.His past was not something they were prepared to deal with, and he used it to bring his full fury down on them and save his boy. He is assisted by some countrymen who also know what to do with a knitting needle and Viagra.His boy safe, the ghost of Father Joseph will exact retribution once again.

Patrick Mercie When I read the storyline on the back of the cover I was sold and had to watch it. I mean it is an Irish film. We have seen some absolute peaches of films come out of Ireland recently. Think of Mickeybo & me, Inside I'm dancing, Garage, Adam & Paul etc... This is up there with them. In the beginning of the film the plot line is a bit thin and the movie is a slow mover but it gathers momentum and pace throughout until the bitter end of it. The acting is credible as is the developing interaction between its main characters. There was no point in the film after the first 20 minutes that I thought 'this can't ever happen'. A big round of congrats to the crew and actors for a thoroughly enjoyable film. And it makes you think and reflect on top of it all!!!

joegreene32 This isn't a bad attempt at an Irish crime movie. While James Frain hams it up as a baddie, Eric Ebouaney is very watchable as an asylum seeker looking to settle in the city. He is man with a secret just trying to get by and escape his past in the Congo. His wife and son arrive to be with him, but all is not what it seems. Taking a job as a security guard at a bank, he is soon in the thick of it, the victim of a from the headlines tiger kidnapping. When things go awry as they invariably do in this genre piece, there is hell to pay. Getting into bed with a gang of African racketeers – a first in an Irish film – the film subtly examines the plight of a refugee in an alien country, albeit against a heightened backdrop. The performances from Ebouaney and Hakeem Kae Kazim are good, though the Irish characters, particularly the police, are a little stiff. Camera-work is good and the soundtrack contemporary. The twist at the end is okay. Certainly an improvement on the director's first outing Cowboys and Angels. Warning: Brendan Gleeson is not in this film.

jamesbond000 Who would have thought it possible? A shoot-em-up with serious soul. Writer/director David Gleeson's decision to offer Dublin-based heist-movie THE FRONT LINE as his attempt to build on the promise shown in his debut, COWBOYS & ANGELS, might initially have smacked of the formulaic. But the good news is that the end product bristles with freshness and cinematic sophistication.There's nothing new about a heist movie with a hard edge, but THE FRONT LINE comes with a hard edge and considerable heart.Convincing performances and visually strong production values ensure the thriller aspect of the first half will bring you to the edge of the seat. Unlike so many comparable efforts, however, THE FRONT LINE gives you something to think about when you get there.Just as it seems inevitable that entertainment levels will flag, disturbing revelations about Joe's true identity elevate proceedings to an absorbing consideration of that most fertile of territories for great art – the sometimes thin line between the divine and the depraved.Ebouaney and McSorley are strikingly good in the central roles, and while some of the observances about Dublin-based gangsters seem a tad far-fetched, this is but a minor quibble.Gleeson has delivered a terrific film that reminds us what big screens were made for.