Although set in Ireland this film, much praised when shown in cinemas, is more of a contemporary black thriller than a comment on the present-day Irish troubles. Stephen Rea, as the musician who swaps his saxophone for a sub-machine-gun to avenge the dance hall murder of two acquaintances, is firmly in the tradition of lone-wolf heroes established by Alan Ladd in Hollywood 40 years earlier. And Chris Menges' imaginative photography exactly matches the mood of the film. It was a formidable cinematic debut for Sligo-born Neil Jordan, both as writer and director - a slice of Raymond Chandler, if you like, within a particularly abrasive and desperate Irish context. As for Rea, he was nominated for an Oscar last year in another Jordan hit, The Crying Game.


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