eddie_baggins An understated, meticulously made Irish film, What Richard Did is a haunting tale that is in its structure too cold for its own good but also in scenes that can only be provided as gut wrenchingly raw impressively effective and a showcase for the young acting talent that is Jack Reynor.A major hit in its home country upon release and later on in its life cleaning up at the 2013 Irish Film and Television Awards with 5 big wins, Lenny Abrahamson's (keep an eye on this filmmaker with his upcoming film Frank creating some very decent hype) film is a unique and realistic look into a young life that will forever be changed due to the films centring act that is based upon an all too familiar true life event. The film asks a lot of its audience in its short 80 minute run time as director Lenny Abrahamson is in no hurry to tell the tale of Richard. The film doesn't adhere to normal narrative structure and we don't know a whole lot about who Richard or others in the film are yet what we do end up knowing about them is just enough to care and be affected by their situations that play out in such a realism that it would be impossible not to be moved by the occurrences. Abrahamson can take credit for this but major notices must be made of the films young star Reynor as the titular Richard.Reynor's performance in What Richard Did was enough to not only earn him praise in his home country but subsequent to the success of this venture Reynor moved straight into big screen behemoth Transformers: Age of Extinction and will likely be seen in more of the same to come. Reynor is a revelation here as the smart, in love and eventually tortured young man displaying a wide range of acting attributes that suggest a long career is to follow. A scene towards the later part of the film at Richard's family's beach house is particularly impressive with Reynor expressing a burst of internal emotion that will leave you feeling just as shell-shocked as the young man is.Professionally filmed, scored to perfection and acted with class from all involved What Richard Did is a fine film that is held back its sparseness at times and a conclusion that feels like a missed opportunity to provide something truly heart wrenching. For a film about youth and all the troubles that can come with it and a tale about life changing decisions it is top quality stuff and it's always a joy to see a new young actor of considerable talent ply their trade and set their career on a path that hopefully makes good use of some undeniable talent.3 and a half Irish beers out of 5For more movie reviews and opinions check out -www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com

Roger Burke This is an actor's movie and the first of Lenny Abrahamson's movies I've seen. It might be the last, given the somewhat well-trodden story and plot coupled with the slow pacing of the entire narrative. On the other hand, it gave me an opportunity to see just how good an actor Jack Reynor (as Richard) is. Reynor is a natural, perhaps, and worth watching; but what also should be noted is the acting of the core ensemble of young students - consistently high quality.So, I have mixed feelings about the whole effort. The acting and direction are tops. The Storyline on the main page for this movie is sufficient for any viewer's needs. The dialogue is true to life with mostly a quite strong Irish lilt - naturally - but which is often so quick, this viewer found some difficulty to understand. Put it down to my advanced age, maybe (but I hope not).There is a long first act which provides the setup for the equally long second, during which the tragedy develops and unfolds i.e. a fight between Richard and Connor (Sam Keeley) over Lara (Roisin Murphy), Richard's girl friend. The boys are separated but Connor dies the next day from injuries.The shorter finale provides the viewer the opportunity to ponder a number of moral issues, the chief of which is surely: who was responsible? I don't intend to read the book, but Abrahamson and the screen writer (Malcolm Campbell) obviously decided to allow ambiguity to rule which, ultimately and ironically, shows us what Richard did NOT do: the right thing, in my opinion; but, he was not alone. When you see this movie, you can judge for yourself.Overall, though, this is an average night at the movies with no great outcomes - no pun intended. Five out of ten. Recommended for all.March 20, 2014

thealefmagnus Hailed as the most important Irish film of the century, I had high expectations before seeing this flick. I knew nothing of the plot except from the title. This Richard guy did something and I aim to find out what it is.First, who is Richard? Richard Karlsen is the town's golden-boy rugby player. Charismatic, friendly, and at the top of his game, Richard is on his way to success as most people would assume once he leaves highschool for university. It was a typical summertime transition for the seniors and Richard is making sure he is having the time of his life. Coming from an upper middle class family, Richard is not at all what you expect from kids having lived under this environment. He wasn't stereotypically the spoiled kid living off of his parent's beach house. Although he is fun loving just like most people his age, he wasn't portrayed as the evil rich dude of the story. In fact, he's just another regular kid of the block who'll soon leave for university. All is going well one summer until this mistake.So, what did Richard do? As the screenplay is loosely based on the novel Bad Day in Black Rock, the story revolves around an assault that led to the death of a teen. The first half of the film shows Richard and his friends simply hanging out and meeting new people. At this point, Richard meets Lara who is still involved with her ex Connor. While Richard successfully charms Lara into a relationship, it is still evident how she maintains close contact with her ex. This spells trouble as our lead slowly shows us his insecurity and jealousy despite having his social status. During a drunken brawl, the unexpected happened and now Richard has to face this sudden flip in his life.The film portrays how an incidence of uncontrolled anger suddenly changes you into a person you never thought you would be and its repercussions. While it was an accident, Richard knows for himself that he is the cause and now he has to face life with guilt. The second half of the film shows how the simple incident has changed the lives of all the characters in the community. It also puts focus on how the lead copes with this event.So, how did what Richard do affect people's lives? While the event brought out the worst in him, it certainly brought more pain on people around him.The best thing I loved about the treatment of the flick is the use of silence. It gave way for the actors to express their emotions through actions and subtle changes in their gestures. This is where Jack Reynor excelled in. While many may complain about how the story never got the resolution most people would expect from it, it shows how the experience changed Richard's life. And I think, that's enough to show how we do not really live in a just world. Great work from director Lenny Abrahamson in using tight shots to focus on the character's emotions.What Richard Did is an exploration of character enclosed within a tight knit community and a look into how a single mistake can change our lives forever.writelikesundance.wordpress.com

flickernatic This movie is set In Ireland but is not a particularly 'Irish' film - the underlying theme is universal (the eternal triangle) and it could have been set almost anywhere. There is some reasonable acting and occasional sequences of lush camera-work, but the film is let down by a weak plot, dull script and ponderous pace.Richard is a well-off teenager who swears and drinks a lot. He is popular among his peers for his looks, self-confidence and access to his parents' beach house. He takes up with the girlfriend of one of his pals and they have sex. Later at a party the two lads get into a fight over the girl and a drunken Richard hits him once too often, taking the lad's life. In collusion with his father, he runs away and hides until he realises that his guilt is too much to bear and that he must give himself up to the police. Returning home to hand himself in, he resumes his studies and finds another girl for perfunctory sex. Whereupon he appears to have forgotten about confessing after all . . . and the credits roll.The movie starts very slowly with lengthy and tedious scenes of Richard and his mates chilling out together, real enough but reality and drama make uneasy bedfellows. Nothing really happens until Richard gets into the fight, but even then there is little to make us like him enough to care what fate befalls him thereafter. He has committed manslaughter and he knows it so his decision to lie and hide just makes him look a coward. So when he 'breaks down' - an embarrassing scene in which he does a lot of screeching and breast-beating - it is hard to have much sympathy. It's not as if he's murdered anyone and faces life imprisonment or worse. A good lawyer would help . . . but these and other practicalities are never considered by him nor his father and (barely seen) mother. Having decided to do 'the right thing', Richard then appears to abandon his intent and return to a life of self-indulgence. Perplexing!So the story is more about what Richard did not do than what he did. Perhaps his parents should have told him a lot earlier to grow up and get a life!Unfortunately, it's hard to recommend this movie.(Viewed at The Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK, 31.01.13)