The Butcher Boy

Looking for something different? Eamonn Owens is "The Great" Francie Brady -- a.k.a. THE BUTCHER BOY. Francie is a dynamo of a twelve year-old, possessed of a hyper-active imagination, despite -- or, because of -- his troubled up-bringing at the hands... Full review

During the 1960's people were fearful of losing their world. What with the Cuban Missle Crises and the threat of Nuclear Winter, it's little wonder many hid in prayerful disillusion. For two young Irish boys, something loomed closer. Their lives... Full review

I'm glad I finally got around to checking out THE BUTCHER BOY - it's one of those sort of films that I've been keeping my eye on for a while, but never managed to pick it up. It turned out... Full review

I'd be lying if I claimed that the original reason I saw this wasn't anything as simple and basic as curiosity... the plot simply sounds so bizarre that one can't help but wonder about the movie itself. The movie is... Full review

I don't understand how this movie is so unknown by most of the people.Simply put, this is an amazing film. Eamonn Owens' performance is just unbelievable.There are some serious and sensitives themes in this movie (murder, suicidal thoughts, alcoholism, child... Full review

The Butcher Boy is one of those movies that disturbs you while making laugh. It's got the Charm of a Disney film, especially the loveable acting of Eamon Owens as the cute and freakin' disturbed Francie Brady. While on the... Full review

The Butcher Boy is a very weird film...This boy Francie has a bad influence; his father. His father is a violent man, alcoholic, but he loves his son a lot...This boy is very well played by Eamonn Owens, a young... Full review

THE BUTCHER BOY comically chronicles a young boy's descent into madness. The boy provides a voice-over from the present to tell the story of his youth in an Irish village in the early 60s. His father's a violent drunk, and... Full review

Just caught this movie on cable; I hadn't heard of it before.It is a brilliant film; black comedy of the blackest sort. What is truly amazing is the acting ability of lead Eamonn Owens; in my mind the finest performance... Full review

Neil Jordan, famed for such hits as Michael Collins and The Crying Game, returns to a much more conventional style of filmmaking. This time he leaves out the stars: no Liam Neeson, no Aidan Quinn, no Julia Roberts. This time... Full review

At his best Neil Jordan is one of cinema's most astonishing film makers; with The Butcher Boy, the director is at the peak of his artistry. As cinema, the film is incomparable, a beautifully textured and haunting work that looks exquisite, using an appropriate musical score of the period. ... Full Review

A passionate tale about an Irish boy who struggles to understand the world he lives in and consequently turns violent The Butcher Boy (1997) plays out like a comedy but eventually becomes too dark to embrace as such. Francie's father (Stephen Rea) is a well-known drunk who enjoys his trumpet as much as he adores his telly . ... Full Review

The premise of, "The Butcher Boy," is one that could have very well been turned into a thought-provoking, disturbing motion picture, but somehow nothing works. His latest film, "The Butcher Boy," is a return to his roots in Ireland, but unfortunately, it is not a successful homecoming. ... Full Review

It's not that ``The Butcher Boy'' lacks feeling -- not at all -- but rather that Jordan spares us any blanketing, simplifying sentiment and gives us something richer, more complex and disturbing. In ``The Butcher Boy,'' which is out on video this week, Neil Jordan tells the story of Francie Brady, a 12-year-old Irish boy who goes mad after losing both parents. ... Full Review

From that perspective, "The Butcher Boy" is in good company. However, there are times when Jordan pushes the film in some very weird and inappropriate directions. ... Full Review

There are some, like Robert McKee (or at least Brian Cox 's version of him), who say narration is the sign that a screenwriter is just taking the easy way out, that a true screenwriter will stay away from such... ... Full Article

Bloomsbury. 212 pp. $15 Best known to American audiences for "The Butcher Boy" and "Breakfast on Pluto" -- both shortlisted for the Booker Prize, both dramatized by Neil Jordan -- Patrick McCabe has distinguished himself as a craftsman of so-called... ... Full Article

Some good picks, Half Nelson is fantastic, and The Butcher Boy is way way overdue...but where's Infamous ?(the OTHER Capote movie) - It's twice the film Capote was (minus Catherine Keener, of course)...I really learned nothing new in the John... ... Full Article

Liberty Arts Centre, Dublin until 30 November 2002. Originally staged in the 1992 Dublin Theatre Festival, 'Frank Pig Says Hello' has not been seen on an Irish stage since 1994. ... Full Article

Sinéad O'Connor, the troubled star who once tore up a picture of the pope, joins a Catholic sect. S in�ad O'Connor is now the artist formerly known as Sin�ad O'Connor. ... Full Article

Published on January 14, 1999 ERNEST HARDY 'S FAVORITE FILMS OF '98: ? The best film of the year: Happiness ( Todd Solondz , U.S. ) ? ... Full Article