‘Spears’ Review
Stars: Michael Parle, Aidan O’Sullivan, Nigel Brennan, Bobby Calloway, Rebecca Rose Flynn | Written and Directed by Gerard Lough
If you are looking for something a little different and are happy to entertain the smaller-budget independent films on offer, then I may have something a little different for you in the shape of Irish globetrotting lo-fi noir thriller Spears.
Director Gerard Lough brings us a tale of betrayal and treachery starting from the Irish shores and spanning all the way to Florence. A tightly woven story told through three separate, seemingly unconnected, characters. A movie that at times shows flourishes of undeniable quality where every penny of this shoestring budget is on screen. Although sometimes forgetting there is untapped unfiltered beauty in the gritty washed-out moments of rural real life… But we will get to that bit.
Kian is a private investigator who makes questionable life choices but seemingly has a good heart. When we meet him he’s tasked to head to Italy to find his employer’s wife.
Jeff and Rachael meet in Berlin and fall head over heels. Jeff, a writer is struggling to find the inspiration for his next works. Add to this Jeff is a bit of womanising con-man, making women fall in love with him so he can fleece them. But, will Rachael be the exception and break Jeff’s walls down (after all, when in Berlin) or is this new woman in his life even who she claims to be.
Then there is Cormac who gets himself involved with shady Vadik, a businessman looking to purchase a firearm and because all our main characters are questionable dick bags, well Cormac can help with such matters.
All three men are pretty much unconnected apart from one key factor, Hidell. Hidell is this all-seeing evil-doer who turns up in each story to basically wreak havoc on our leads and their stories.
That’s the bare bones of Spears with a bunch of gnarly twists (sometimes a little too many) and turns thrown in, Some chunky moments of talk back and forth and a truly inspired synth-eqsue score over the top of everything. We get to feast our oculars on some truly gorgeous wide-scaping aerial shots of Ireland, Italy and London that do not disappoint and in many ways deflect from some of the shortcomings of the film.
Let’s get into those shortcomings… while I have to admit that there are some really great performances among the cast including the likes of Michael Parle, Aidan O’Sullivan, Nigel Brennan, Bobby Calloway and Rebecca Rose Flynn. They are a touch let down by an over complicated somewhat meandering script that somehow loses itself at the mid-way point and struggles to figure out what it wants to be.
Ultimately there is a lot to like about Spears and the good does outweigh the negatives for sure. I loved all the stuff set in Ireland with the gritty earthy feel. The score is terrific but if I am honest the second half of the movie is weaker than the first. I admire what Gerard Lough has accomplished on what I assume is a meagre budget, at times showing us just what can be accomplished with passion drive and a committed cast and crew.
