Leofwine_draca Lenny Abrahamson directed the excellent low budget Dublin film ADAM & PAUL so I was eager to see what this newer production was like. WHAT RICHARD DID isn't as good as that film, although it has some promise and typically realistic performances. The best thing about it is Abrahamson's moody direction, which makes you feel every moment of a torrid and emotional storyline.Unfortunately, WHAT RICHARD DID is also rather slow and lacking in incident. The storyline is a very simple one that drags out a bit, especially in the latter half, and the almost entire lack of an ending is a disappointment in itself. It's a very realistic movie with a solid script, and Jack Reynor does well in a complex leading performance. But after ADAM & PAUL I expected more, and what I got was merely adequate.

FlashCallahan Richard Karlsen is the golden-boy athlete and alpha-male of his set of South Dublin friends.The summer between the end of school and the beginning of university is here, and the world is bright and everything seems possible. That is until one summer night, Richard does something that destroys it all and shatters the lives of the people closest to him.....Its a really difficult film to watch, it hangs a low mood from the offset, and just gets more and more maundering as the film reaches its climax.But the subject matter is powerful, and the performances are brilliant, especially the lead. The split decision to kick a man in the head, will haunt the titular character forever.The guilt will stay with him, and his family, but the fundamental thing about the act is the cowardice that was involved, giving a while new meaning to the phrase 'kick a man while he's down'.So there's the added frustration of him doing it out of spite, and the character will always have that, 'what if I'd just walked away?'.There are so many what ifs? In this movie, that it can get bogged down in its own preaching, but other than that, its a solid movie.

Sarah Tyrrell I was really rooting for this film despite it's unoriginal 'accidental killer' plot. Narrative was really weak and I was expecting a new and original take on the 'tortured teens'emotional journey in the aftermath of the event..It did try at times. The scene with his dad could have been so much more touching and effective but it lacked depth & substance. Too many long silences and weak dialogue.I understand what it was TRYING to portray, it just didn't have much of an emotional punch nor did I feel drawn to any characters...Well maybe the dad, a bit. For me, the ending was a complete cop out..Was left wondering what the point was..If the director was trying to convey any kind of moral to the story, I missed it.

TheGatsby Over the past ten years or so, director Lenny Abrahamson has made something of a name for himself in the Irish film industry. He first burst onto the scene with his feature-length debut, the Beckett-esque 'Adam and Paul', which opened to a positive reception. He followed it up three years with 2007's excellent and downbeat 'Garage', a film which showcased Pat Shortt's capability for a career outside of comedy. After making these two quite different films (both of which showed directorial talent) it would no doubt prove interesting to see where Abrahamson would end up next, and with 'What Richard Did' he has delivered his finest piece of work yet.One of the most brilliant things about it is how natural it all feels, particularly in its depiction of 18 year old Richard and his peers. Often when it comes to portraying young people on screen, things can feel too forced (aspects of Diablo Cody's work come to mind) or on the other hand become completely misrepresented. This film sees Abrahamson perfect the very difficult technique of accurately depicting teenagers, especially with the way they speak, act, their mannerisms, etc, feeling nothing but natural as if the camera had been placed in the middle of an actual conversation. At the heart of it all is a terrific central performance by newcomer Jack Reynor as the titular Richard, a popular and achieving school rugby player, living in the upper-middle class area of Dublin. He has to deal with a wide range of emotions and conveys them with nuance and expertise, as we witness how his character fluidly develops as the plot progresses and unfolds. The scene where he confesses to his father about what exactly he 'did', played by Lars Mikkelsen (brother of the stellar Mads) is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the finest pieces of acting of the past twelve months.Proving to be not a world away from Scandinavian cinema (some likened it to Vinterburg and Bergman) or the films of Michael Haneke, with its consistent aurora of unease and underplayed intensity, 'What Richard Did' is an intelligent, complex and understated drama that confirms Abrahamson's directorial skill and heralds the arrival of brilliant young actor.