Bad Day for the Cut (2017) Reviews

• Underrated dark comedy thriller

  Jithindurden2017-11-24

  A black comedy thriller that works on multiple levels. Chris Baugh's feature debut very violent and dark yet never loses the comical touch which keeps the viewer close to the protagonist Donel, the middle-aged farmer whose revenge for the murder of his mom serves as an unravelling of the whole film. With such a premise the direction of the story could have gone to many places yet it stayed through the simple Donel all the while keeping it interesting. Without relying on too much character exposition scenes or monologues the film lets the events describe the characters yet retaining enough background for them to be effective.

• Superb revenge Thriller

  omendata2017-10-28

  This exceeded all my expectations and really delivers a punch to the guts that leaves the viewer reeling in many scenes! Good acting , unexpected moments and a real engaging story for once. Quite frustrating as you just wanted the bad guys to get it but the film treads a more true to life and unexpected line which keeps the viewer frustrated and wanting to see more...Great storytelling as the backstory slowly evolves. If you are looking for something more without the frills and spills of unlimited CGI and dross story-line and remakes we see delivered to Netflix and Amazon seemingly weekly then this will surely satisfy, its a masterful performance from the main character and a really unexpected set of quite nasty characters and events all mixed into a really satisfying Irish thrill-soup!

• This Northern Irish thriller is a cut above

  Red-Barracuda2017-06-29

  Revenge thrillers are fairly common, so much so that when going into a new one the tendency is to lower your expectations given that most are pretty generic and samey. Well, I have to say that this Northern Irish effort is a cut above most of them. Its story is one that sounds pretty familiar. A farmer seeks bloody revenge against the criminals who murdered his mother one dark night. It's essentially a plot line that on the face of it sounds fairly typical but the way it is delivered to screen ensures that this is a film which stands out. First off, the Northern Irish setting is a bonus right from the get-go. There aren't too many films made in this part of the world, so it gives things a fresher feel. Plus, the undercurrents of the Troubles are interwoven into the story as a background which ultimately informs the events in the present day. You could also find the tit-for-tat violence between the two parties here an analogy for the violence of the past in which one murder led to another and another. It is a film which combines its bloody thriller moments with a healthy dose of black comedy though. It's a balance it gets just right without ever sacrificing the seriousness of the main plot-line. Of additional benefit here is the acting performances of both Nigel O'Neill as the vigilante farmer and Susan Lynch as the unhinged crime boss. The former puts in a thoroughly engaging and sometimes funny performance as the sympathetic farmer out for retribution and answers, while the latter is very convincing as the dangerous psychotic behind events, it is also a nice change to have the crime boss a woman. The story has enough twists and turns to ensure it is always compelling and it ends very effectively also. In other words, this is an extremely good thriller which must be seen by more people.

• Fun yet sobering thrill ride

  AyanaH2017-12-17

  One of my greatest accidental finds of the year, Bad Day is delightfully humorous, action-filled and, it goes without saying, violent. Not gratuitously so, however, which I appreciate. It isn't necessary since the passion for revenge is powerfully displayed and that therein is the foundation of any good revenge film. I was surprised to find myself touched and a bit saddened by the end, though. It's the type of film where it's easy to get caught up in the fantasy of revenge, to tap into the protagonist's thirst as if it were your own, and just when you think that the bad guys are going to get theirs, reality comes and slaps you in the face. But I suppose that too was something I appreciated since it's a reminder of how cyclical life is. Violence begets violence and more often than not, innocents wind up being collateral damage in other people's wars. Overall, an entertaining, thought-provoking action film.

• A pleasant surprise

  toofancorp2018-02-16

  Nothing revolutionary about the story...but we'll acted, well executed, and not bloated with filler like most modern films. I had a good time.