One of the best character-driven films of 2019/2020 with subtly layered irony, haunting performances and great music. Emotional realism is at its best when easy transactions go sour and emotions erupt arriving at the point of no return. Graphic realism, which the Brits and Americans are allowed to capture so appallingly well, never makes it to our Canadian final cuts. Canadian censorship simply won't allow artists to work their magic, so their talent is tethered to a prescribed hemline mentality. Do we need hyper-graphic detail? Some viewers need it to satisfy their armchair blood lust. But in watching "Hammer" I was too busy sinking in the characters' terror, desperation, hopelessness and revenge to miss gory details. Incomparable performances.
