‘Amongst The Wolves’ Review – A Great Premise Is Failed By A Dull Execution

There’s a rule of thumb for making gritty crime thrillers: lose the setup, get into action quickly, and move the story forward as fast as possible. A hardboiled noir should start with a bang or a lead who is so attractive and charismatic that viewers want to follow them anywhere. Amongst the Wolves lacks either. It’s a solid drama, but not a thriller by any means, and it misses the core of a captivating, heart-pounding psychological thriller.

Watching the feature as a drama is an okay experience; otherwise, what would be the justification for the clunky, unnecessary scene fillers in what is otherwise the captivating Irish noir genre? Director Mark O’Connor creates a claustrophobic world where Danny, a veteran suffering from PTSD, roams the night streets of Dublin, hiding from local gangs and sleeping in tents. One night, he meets Will, a down-on-his-luck teenager who has had an unfortunate run with a powerful gangster. And while the script might show that Danny wants to take Will under his wing, Danny is incapable of giving Will anything. He lacks any real-life wisdom, experience, or nurturing personality to do the young boy any good. There are multiple scenes of Danny shaving, tending to his wounds, or flirting with the first woman who shows him kindness—a sweet performance from Louise Bourke—and it sometimes feels like the writer has given his character too much space and time to occupy on screen. It would’ve worked for a different auteur-like figure, but in Amongst the Wolves, unfortunately, it doesn’t.

When it comes to performances, actors are what hold the film on their shoulders, making the rather too-long run more exciting than barely tolerable. Luke McQuillan -co-writer with O’Connor- brings the energy of the character down. His performance as Danny is below sublime, and his writing skills are, as far as the movie goes, superior to his acting chops. On the other hand, we have Aidan Gillen, a beloved Irish TV actor whose performances shine in every role he’s in. Whether in Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders, or here, Gillen takes command of his roles, transporting them to another smooth level of performance. His Power is chilling, sadistic, unpredictable, and creepy. He doesn’t give the other characters the time of day. He’s always two steps ahead, and it would have been wonderful if Danny had been a worthy match to Power’s sinister antagonism. But due to McQuillan’s mediocre acting, the role stalls, and so do the characters’ dynamics.

McQuillan makes it really hard to root for Danny; if anything, the viewer couldn’t care less what will happen to this man. The character is a blank slate of one-dimensional monotone. With flat facial expressions and zero grasp of the character, he makes Danny a nobody, a person with no dimensions, and the script doesn’t help it. Not allowing him to grow into a stoic, underrated hero, but rather increasing the dullness of the narrative and the overall sullen mood of the feature.

One of the surprises is Daniel Fee, who is originally a YouTuber and film reviewer. This is his first acting job, and he’s doing a great job out of it. He portrays Will’s youth, innocence, and ruggedness due to the harsh street life with such rawness. It’s obvious he’s no professional actor, but he brings us back to the good old days of casting unknowns or first-time actors in pivotal roles, which benefits from their unfamiliar faces and their lack of acting experience more than it would have their talent.

Amongst the Wolves is a good drama, with a hint of action and crime. It works well when it invests its viewers in the lives of its characters, but rarely satisfies with the suspense and action it promises.

Amongst the Wolves is currently playing in select theaters and is available on digital platforms courtesy of Sunrise Films.