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The Irish Do Revenge Right With ‘Bad Day For The Cut’ (Movie Review)

Nobody does movie revenge quite like the Irish!  Hot off the Sundance circuit midnight series and out this week in select cinemas and On Demand from the great Well Go USA, it’s time for a little powerful picture payback in the form of the five-star film Bad Day For The Cut.  Below is a reposting of my Sundance film review to remind folks why it’s not only a flick in full contention for my Top Ten Films of 2017 but also well worth seeking out.  (Plus for those who require more insight check out an interview with Director Chris Baugh…HERE!)  So don a bad attitude, grab a weapon of choice and get ready to kick some serious ass as we revisit the Irish import…Bad Day For The Cut!

Revenge may be a cinematic subject done to death, but when presented with unique flair and in an original setting it can open up a whole new can of whoop-ass worms.  Such is the fate of the bold, brutal and beautiful new vengeance tale Bad Day For The Cut, a revenge flick unashamed to mix genre tropes with it’s own brand of caustic Irish humor to create a everyman out for justice film that’s fully five-star.

For Donal, a quiet middle-aged Irish farmer, life is pretty uneventful.  He runs the property, does odd jobs on the side like car repair and he stays home mostly taking care of his ailing mother whom he adores.  But one night Donal hears his mom cry out for help and by the time he reaches her she’s already deceased.  Sad, sullen and single-minded in purpose after seeing a glimpse of the killers, Donal decides to find all the folks responsible and put them down for good.

Again the above description sounds like a been there, done that kind of retribution ride, but there’s so much memorable movie mayhem that elevates Bad Day For The Cut.  There are of course the typical tropes like bone-crunching kills (trapping a thug under a car hood, Donal adds a little sledgehammer topping to the mix!), terrific story turns (was Donal’s mom as saintly as he thought?) and firm consequences for such angers of the heart, but Director Chris Baugh adds extra layers of a savory setting and black humor in select moments to keep the hard core themes from being too heavy-handed.  Plus his lead Nigel O’Neill is the epitome of the avenging everyman and his frumpy and funny but angry character plays wonderfully here against type.

And if that’s not enough Baugh also employs the caustic character work of ample actress Susan Lynch as Donal’s female foe who goes from calm to crazy at the drop of a hat with riveting results.  (One of her vicious and vocal killing scenes is utterly truly unforgettable!)

So while the revenge genre may have become tired as of late, it’s only because film folks haven’t added their own insane inspired joy to the eye-for-an-eye cinematic category.  Bad Day For The Cut skillfully hits all the right notes we expect from such an outing, all the while adding it’s own film flavor and it gives vengeance cinema seekers serious satisfaction.  No luck of the Irish here – Baugh and company just know how to do revenge right.