Six Shooter (2004) User Reviews

McDonagh's parody?

[fowler-16 · 7/10 · 7 March 2006]

McDonagh is a brilliant story teller and fully deserves his Tony nominations and his Olivier Award for Best Play (The Pillowman). His critics have questioned his use of casual cruelty as a dramatic device, although he always grounds violence in a social context or connects sadism to particular characters' proclivities. This film is beautifully acted by Brendon Gleeson and especially Rúaidhrí Conroy, sharply photographed, and well directed by McDonagh himself. For technique alone it is Oscar-worthy. But the whole piece strikes me as an absurdist joke with insufficient resonance. This is a mélange of destructions, an indulgence in violence that reduces and parodies McDonagh's better scripts.

Interesting short

[mickadoo · 8/10 · 2 January 2006]

I just found this flicking through channels and it turned out to be pretty good. seeing Brendan Gleeson kept my attention for the first few minutes, but the story is pretty shocking stuff. I liked the camera-work on the train which, despite it being filmed on a small Irish train carriage) doesn't make it feel cramped. The boys character in it is great. Even though i like Gleeson, it's Ruadhri Conroy's character that kept me watching more than anyone else. It manages to pack in a fair few unexpected turns into its half hour length, and some of it made me surprised it was aired at all. The only other guy i recognized (of the cast of about 5) was David Wilmot from intermission. Anyway for a debut this is very good and it's worth seeing. Hopefully he'll be doing something else soon

McDonagh to the bone

[mulhollandman · 8/10 · 30 January 2006]

First thing I have got to say, is that I am a huge fan of Martin McDonaghs stage plays. Six-Shooter tells the tale of a recently bereaved man who finds himself in the same carriage as a mourning couple and a young psycho. The next half an hour presents all McDonaghs famous trademarks which have made him the the toast of the Theatre world.

This short film will appeal to two types of people. The first is any person who loves their action and blood and guts. It will also appeal to McDonagh's legions of Theatre fans (like myself). And for these two audiences markets the film is successful. For the person that loves there blood, there is no shortage of blood and there is Ruaidhri Conroy's callous performance as the young Psycho. For his legion of theatre fans there is the morality tale that involves all the characters and the wonderful writing and grotesque characters that has endeared McDonagh to my heart.

I would love to write more but i do not want to spoil it for any film fans that do not like theatre but have yet to experience the wonderful creative mind of Martin McDonagh

An Engrossing but Macabre Portrait of Lots of Death in the Pretty Irish Countryside

[noralee · 10/10 · 3 March 2006]

"Six Shooter" is the debut written/directed film by playwright Martin McDonagh and now I want to see more of his work.

This film is suffused with death, human and animal; we see or hear about intentional deaths - murder and suicide--, natural deaths --by illness or mysterious causes, accidental deaths, and maybe a few I missed in passing.

Each character deals with death in a different way, from the psychotic to tearful grief to quiet suffering to violent reactions, and the actors portray each fully.

While Brendan Gleeson is the central widower trying to make sense of all these observations of death for his own coping mechanisms, the film is stolen by a motormouth Rúaidhrí Conroy as the most annoying guy to ever be on public transport. He non-stop goes from cheerful to entertaining to manipulative to scary and beyond.

While it does go a bit over the top, the cinematography and settings always ground it in grim reality, with a brief excursion into magic realism.

The Irish scenery outside the railway car windows does look very pretty, in contrast to what's going on inside.

I viewed this film as part of a commercial screening of Oscar nominated shorts.

Exquisitely told story

[Cinema Buff · 10/10 · 10 August 2006]

As far as short films go, this is near the top of the list. McDonagh (formerly a playwright, here making his film debut) is a master craftsman, able to play several levels at the same time. "Six Shooter" is shocking, heartbreaking and very funny, often simultaneously. The story, in a nutshell, revolves around four people, each suffering a very recent death in their families. As they each deal with the loss in very different ways, they collide with each other, sometimes with words, sometimes with more.

The cast is uniformly excellent, especially Brendan Gleeson as the sad-eyed protagonist and Rúaidhrí Conroy as a ticking time-bomb of a kid. McDonagh's pitch-perfect writing - while not approaching the near-apocalyptic absurdity of plays like "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" - is appropriately bleak. His direction is also assured, showing him to be a filmmaker to watch in coming years.

"Six Shooter" is available on iTunes for two dollars. If you can, buy it. It's truly a great work of modern cinema.

Unusual, unpredictable 30 minute short

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 4 February 2012]

Your appreciation of SIX SHOOTER, a 30 minute Irish short by IN BRUGES director Martin McDonagh, largely depends on your tolerance for black comedy. I thought myself a fan of it, but after some of the subject matter played for laughs here - including cot death - I'm not so sure. Much of the material left me cold.

Looks-wise, it's certainly a professional production, pitched just right and utilising a moving train carriage as an effective backdrop to the ongoing events. Brendan Gleeson is as good as ever he's been playing Donnelly, a grieving husband encountering some decidedly odd situations on board what should be an uneventful train journey. Unfortunately, much of the film revolves around Ruaidhri Conroy's ne'er-do-well Kid, and I found him so unpleasant and repulsive that much of my enjoyment was taken away as a result.

Still, the acting is strong all around, the use of stark violence is effective and despite everything this feature comes away with a broad dash of Irish charm which works in its favour.

Champion Movie. deserves Oscar

[raykee76 · 10/10 · 1 February 2006]

They showed this on RTE television recently and I watched out of curiosity, it turned out to be much better than expected... Fantastic acting, superb casting and a fabulously brilliant and disturbing story. It's great to see the quality of Irish short films returning to something worthy of an Oscar nomination compared to some of the nonsense perpetrated throughout the past couple of years. Martin Mc Donagh is a quality playwright and this first foray into the world of movie making is a wonderful success to say the least. It's also fantastic to see the raw talent of Ruaidhri Conroy back on screen and with none other than Brendan Gleeson, the master! It's entirely deserving of it's Oscar nomination, fingers crossed for the lads. Thoroughly recommended!!!!

shooting blanks

[joegreene32 · 7/10 · 5 January 2007]

Finally saw this online and wondering what all the fuss is about. Almost whimsical, I couldn't quite believe the darkness at the centre of the story. There are a couple of good lines and the performances are solid – Rory Conroy being the best. Martin McDonagh is a very talented playwright, but on this evidence his directing is a little flat. Film looks and sounds flat too. What struck me about it was the superficiality of it all, the cynicism. However it does have some funny moments and moves along at a brisk pace. I'm not surprised it was looked on so favourably by the academy, picking up an Oscar for Best Short Film – it has hip written all over it. And it is one of the better short Irish films I've seen, complete with twists and double twists and a lot of flippant dialogue. McDonagh is planning a gangster film with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. I'll pay money to see that. He obviously wants to be the Celtic Scorsese. High point a cow explodes. Low point rather tasteless plot line about a baby's death. Brendan Gleeson is in this film.

Excellent but odd

[LazyHobo · 10/10 · 14 March 2006]

This is one of admittedly few short films that I have seen. I purchased this through the iTunes music store, and I must say, it was very worth the $1.99. This is a story of a man whose wife died, and gets on a train and sits down next to one of the few people on the train. It is a very simple storyline, yet the developments that result make this film truly an excellent piece of film (hence the Oscar). Personally, I would consider this to be a comedy, but it is of the dark and twisted variety. Anyone who wants a moving, yet humorous short film should most certainly find a way to watch this. Highly recommended due to the artful combination of humor and true content, while still providing an appealing and interesting story.

Good enough to be released on DVD?

[Jattwood1 · 18 December 2005]

I, like most, haven't seen this film as short films very rarely get shown in a medium accessible to everyone that's the case in England at least. But I happen to know, by browsing through www.play.com, that there is a Region 2 DVD release scheduled for this film on 30th April 2006, this date, as in most cases, is subject to change but I for one will certainly be buying a copy of this award wining short. I think that we as consumers should be putting more pressure 'on the powers that be' to release more interesting shorts such as this. For instance the Oscar nominated animated short The Sandman directed by the late Paul Berry or the very popular animation by Daniel Greaves, Flatworld and many other such classics which for some unknown reason never get released. I hope that this film lives up to expectation so its DVD release can be justified. And then maybe one day other great shorts will follow it on to DVD.

Very Jet-Black Comedy

[BJJManchester · 7/10 · 5 March 2006]

The London-born playwright of Irish parents,Martin McDonagh,returns to the land of his fathers for his movie debut,and shows considerable promise and talent as a filmmaker.The film has an excellent performance from the well-known Brendan Gleeson and an even better one from the relatively unknown Ruaiduri Conroy as the main protagonists.As with all black comedy,it is mainly about the subject of death and it's various causes and impacts it has on various individuals.The potential poor taste the story offers is easily offset by fine photography,a witty script,convincing characterisation and well executed plot twists.The foul language could be too much for some,but it is to be hoped that on this showing at least,McDonagh will concentrate on film-making in the future equally as much as his theatre work.

Tragedy Meets Reality Meets Tragedy Again

[Screen_O_Genic · 9/10 · 14 June 2019]

A bereaved number of individuals take a train ride and come across a glib sociopath and sullen cashier. What should have been an ordinary ride turns into an unforseen crash of fate where no one really gets out alive. Ace direction and a biting realistic script elevate this to one of the best shorts and very much worthy of the award it deservedly won. Every film lover should see this - once seen never forgotten.

Pulling Death's Leg

[holker-127-845774 · 7/10 · 14 August 2011]

After seeing 'In Bruges', I got curious of the other film Martin McDonagh had made. This short film is also a dark comedy and tries to make fun of death, suicide and the loss of a loved one. This is of course really hard and not easy to do. It sometimes fails as well at some points, but overall it kinda succeeds.

Yet another movie of Martin McDonagh I am not sure what to make of it... strange... but if you like dark twisted humour, then this film is definitely for you.

I am not sure if the Oscar was really deserved, but it keeps me thinking at least... 7/10

Only worth the one shot.....

[joebloggscity · 5/10 · 25 February 2015]

So this was nominated for and won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film. So intriguing how they done it. Many spend a fortune to get one of those little Oscars, so what was so good about this low budget short movie? We have here 30 mins of mostly three sets of people with some tragedy in their lives which they reveal in one way or the others.

Brendan Gleeson is great as always as a brooding big guy, but this time with a burden to carry as big as a rock. On the other hand, the film is stolen by Rúaidhrí Conroy who plays a cold-hearted and motor mouthed young man with a dark secret.

It's mostly about the conversations between the characters. There is actually very little "live action". Some dark humour too.

Personally, I wasn't blown away by it. I don't know who the other nominees were but surely there were better out there.

Not a bad little short story movie, but nothing special in it that will want you to revisit this again.

less than 30 minutes, no less than a masterpiece

[framptonhollis · 9/10 · 5 March 2018]

From the brilliant and twisted mind of Irish playwright/filmmaker Martin McDonagh, 'Six Shooter' is a dark (and I mean DARK) tragicomedy about death. McDonagh is certainly a fearless filmmaker in terms of subject matter, and he is always willing to take the darkest route possible, while also being extremely unpredictable and often going to places almost no other filmmaker would even dream of going to. With 'Six Shooter', he practically dares the viewer to laugh along with this genuinely disturbing and sad and shocking story, but he also allows the viewer to cry and shake in emotional intensity while fully absorbing the total absurdity of violence. No wonder the man went on to make such jaw dropping successes as 'Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri'. No wonder.

Bleakly dark comedy that is uniquely Irish

[bob the moo · 19 March 2006]

Having just lost his wife, Donnelly boards a train through the Irish countryside to return home. He finds himself on a sparsely populated carriage with a young man who won't shut up and appears to be looking just to wind others up, and a couple grieving the lost of their baby from cot death. Within seconds of sitting down, the kid starts talking and soon gets tensions rising in the otherwise quite train carriage.

Mere days after it took the Oscar for best short film I took the opportunity to watch this film on Channel 4. A testament to the ongoing work of Film Four, this is a darkly comic film that is bleak and depressing while still providing plenty of laughs. Often "dark comedy" means that a film is just rather film without being funny at all but rather just failing to be taken seriously. However with this film the material is both bleak and intentionally funny at the same time. The plot is exaggerated of course but the writing has enough familiarity to make it engaging and attainable. I can't really describe it very well but the humour is very Irish and I found it funny at the same time as enjoying the brooding nature of what was happening.

As writer and director it must be said that McDonagh doesn't do much wrong; producing a great script but also making the film look very professional and washed out at the same time. The cast are all good. Gleeson is of course the star of the piece and he is convincing as he mourns his way through the film. Conroy is the driving force for the majority and is excellent, working with the script really well. He is funny as much as menacing and I couldn't stop watching him. Support from both Wilmot and O'Sullivan is good and a small role for Gleeson Jr is amusing.

Overall a strong short film that is worthy of the bigger audience that the Oscar may bring. It is dark but still funny, enjoyable but yet brooding. The writing is very good and the cast all "get it", especially a nicely understated Gleeson and a scene stealing Conroy.

Superb Debut Film, From The Master Of Dark Comedy

[McKeeCM · 8/10 · 17 September 2011]

Martin McDonagh is a very unorthodox director, his very Irish dark sense of humor comes across strongly throughout his films. This has often lead to them having mixed reviews on account of the fact that people judge them to be exploiting violence. Indeed McDonaghs works often contain controversial themes and content. This particularly comes across in his litary works (for example the pillow man). McDonagues theatrical influence comes across strongly in Six Shooter.It manages to successfully make use of a very simple dark plot with not a hint of cliché or Hollywood improbability.The film manages to coherently string together a strong and conclusive story through its short running time without noticeably rushing character development or background. Six shooter generally maintains a somber mood which is occasional punctuated with spectacularly funny sequences. This creates a sense on contrast that pervades the work. And leads the audience to develop a sense of uncertainty throughout the film. Brendon Gleeson and Ruhadari Conroy both perform to perfection and feel completely at home it the films potentially claustrophobic setting. In conclusion this is a superb and bizarre film which will both amuse and shock you in a way that very few modern shorts can.

McDonagh wins an Oscar for this Short Film.

[Matt_Layden · 7/10 · 10 May 2010]

After a man's wife dies he takes a train back home. On that train he meets a young couple who are also grieving and a young man who doesn't seem to give a damn about other people's emotions.

The story is relatively simple, four people on a train, each one has something in common. Someone in their lives has just died, each one deals with it differently. The young kid doesn't seem to give a damn, the couple cry and try to isolate themselves and the man seems to be relatively at ease, clearly hiding his true pain. Gleeson is the man in this role and he is the one who seems to be observing all the emotions on this train. Rúaidhrí Conroy is the motor mouth kid who has a really thick Irish accent, it's almost hard to tell what he is saying. The film belongs to these two characters and they are vastly different from one another.

The scenery outside is beautiful and showcases Ireland's cottage, farmland area. It's definitely a place I want to visit one day in my life. The setting of the film is entirely on a train, save for the opening and closing scenes. Despite the film being almost all dialogue, the movement of the train actually kept some tension up. Who is this kid and why he is so psycho.

For a short that is 30 minutes, it does its job. Well written, well directed and acted. The film looks nice and is quite the dark comedy. The monologue about the cow is both random and hilarious. The director, McDonagh, went on to direct In Bruges, an even darker comedy. You can see the similarities in the characters and the themes. Both films are shot in the same style, with a soft focus and of course star Brendan Gleeson.

This short went on to win an Oscar, I haven't seen the other films nominated so I can't say that this film deserved the win, but it is well done. It does what most films can't do and that is tell a consistent story with interesting characters.

Exploding cow makes it worth your time

[bozbontins-1 · 9/10 · 20 November 2019]

Nineteen and a half minutes into the film, you will be in hysterics.

Grand Guignol in Green

[Willemite · 7/10 · 25 February 2006]

A bit of fun for the black-hearted, very black-hearted. Death becomes them, all of them it seems, in one way or another. I am a fan of dark humor myself--Sweeney Todd and League of Gentlemen come to mind--but despite having a reasonably strong stomach, this film made me uncomfortable. Make no mistake, it is wonderfully crafted, with outstanding performances, top-notch production values, and a glorious punch line, but it might be a trial to keep your eyes on the screen until the final payoff.

I caught this dainty in a showing of all the Oscar-nominated shorts, animated and live action. (and not, sadly, documentary) It is a shame that so few get to see quality short films of this sort. It might be a worthy enterprise for some bright person to market a DVD product line with sets of each year's nominees. Or work something out with Apple to make them down-loadable to digital devices of various sorts. It is a sad thing that we must endure advertisements prior to seeing features. Substituting short films of modest duration would add reel value to seeing films in a theatrical venue. Lord knows, it would be a good thing to provide a bit more justification for the hefty ticket prices.

A truly startling and wickedly funny black comedy treat

[Woodyanders · 10/10 · 17 September 2006]

Morose middle-aged Donnelly (a typically terrific performance by the always great Brendan Gleeson) takes a long and grueling train ride home following the tragic sudden death of his wife. Donnelly encounters both a young couple whose baby has just passed away and a brash, rowdy, irrepressibly snotty punk kid (splendidly played with deliciously malicious glee and gusto by Ruaidhri Conroy) who antagonizes his fellow hapless passengers with his incessant coarse language and blithely rude, callous and offensive behavior. Writer/director Martin McDonagh, an acclaimed Irish playwright, deftly mines a fresh, startling and often uproariously twisted line in black-as-coal gallows humor in this offbeat and inspired meditation on death, grief and loss. This is hardcore merrily macabre black humor that's as dark as the best chocolate and every bit as tasty (the exploding cow gag is especially gut-busting!). Moreover, the performances are across-the-board fantastic (Conroy in particular is simply amazing), the photography of the lush Irish countryside is breathtakingly beautiful, and the story offers a wondrous wealth of delightfully warped and shocking surprises. Overall, this stupendous Oscar-winning short film qualifies as 30 sublimely nasty and frequently flat-out sidesplitting minutes worth of pure black comedy gold.

It's Such a Depressing Short Film!

[Sylviastel · 6/10 · 18 March 2018]

Martin McDonagh begins the story as a middle-aged man learns of his wife's death. He takes a train to Dublin, Ireland where he encounters a troubled young man and a couple in despair. There is a lot of death and despair in this short film even by today's standards. THere is a lot of needless violence and destruction especially with the cow and innocent white rabbit. The middle-aged man's encounter with the young man is troubling. The kid makes rude and insensitive comments to the young couple who lost their son the night before. There is a lot of death in this short film. Martin McDonagh is a promising and accomplished playwright and director. This short film was included on the dvd of "Three Billboards"

If "gallows humor" is your cup of tea, this short is definitely for you!

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 1 January 2007]

This short deservedly won an Oscar in the Live-Action Short category. It's by turns heartbreakingly sad, horrific and very funny. Because I want to touch on some of the details, this is a spoiler warning:

For a good number of people (and a rabbit), this is probably the worst day of their lives. Though there are a few incidental characters, this short focuses primarily on four people-a middle-aged man who has just left the hospital after being told his wife has died, a couple who have just lost their infant son and and a chatty, rather obnoxious kid with a mouth on him and who fancies himself a wit. This last rapidly gets on just about everyones last nerve and very nearly comes to blows with the husband over his language and general demeanor. Slowly, everyone comes to learn of the twin sadnesses and the older fellow comes to start listening to the kid, at least a little.

While the two older men are out getting tea and smoking, the kid starts to pester the woman and, as she tries to leave, she stumbles, or she's tripped, and the photo she carries of her son is torn badly. Tragedy rears its ponderous head and the train is stopped (ultimately) and two of the quartet of characters exit, stage left, with just the older man and the kid left. The kid and the man talk a bit more (actually, the kid mostly talks and the man mostly listens) until the train stops and the older fellow starts to get off, only to see a few things, put some pieces together, including one off-hand remark by a doctor that morning at the hospital and realizes what's about to happen. When the dust has settled, the older man is alone, center stage, so to speak, and leaves the train-with a memento (to the lasting misfortune of his pet rabbit). The final line is particularly funny if your taste in humor runs towards the macabre.

This short is available on a DVD compilation of most of the ten shorts nominated for the two shorts categories given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (two of the five animated shorts aren't included for various reasons, though all five live-action shorts are included and two very good animated shorts are an added bonus, presumably to round out the disc. Both this short and the DVD as a whole are highly recommended.

Funny, dark, but ultimately a bit boring

[siderite · 7/10 · 6 July 2009]

I wanted to see this film because another movie directed and written by Martin McDonagh, In Bruges. That was one of those rare films that I rate highest and therefore I had to see this one.

Maybe it's the high expectations, but it felt a bit boring to me. This guy loses his wife to some sickness, boards a train, all depressed, and has one of the most possible annoying days. The tension is palpable, all actors play really well and the ending is both a bit predictable as an idea, but surprising as the emotion it produces. Kind of like expecting to be treated with candy, but getting surprised by the taste of it.

All in all a short film I can't rate. It has everything, but also nothing. For me, it stays in limbo, leaving me undecided.

Morbid

[iquine · 3/10 · 9 May 2018]

(Flash Review)

Why was this a special feature on the Three Billboard DVD? It was deranged. Taking place on a train, two unrelated passengers have had a significant loss in their family. Along comes some demented and highly irritating Irish young man. He hassles the mourning mother enough that she does something highly rash! The train is stopped to investigate the event. Later we learn the police are after this annoying young man. Cue bloodbath. This film had no redeeming value.