Barber – Movie Review
ABC Film Challenge – Catch-Up 2024 – V (Val Barber)
Director: Fintan Connolly
Writer: Fiona Bergin, Fintan Connolly (Screenplay)
Cast
- Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones)
- Aisling Kearns (Fair City)
- Gary Lydon (The Banshees of Inisherin)
- Helen Behan (Wolf)
- Deirdre Donnelly (Harry Wild)
Plot: Val Barber, a private investigator, is hired by a wealthy widow to find her missing granddaughter.
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Barber starts when private detective Val Barber (Gillen) deals with personal problems with his ill daughter Kate (Kearns). She is preparing to leave the hospital and attempt a more normal life. Meanwhile, Lily Dunne (Donnelly) turns to Val to help locate her missing granddaughter, Sarah.
The investigation forces Val to address his own secrets, the secrets that tore his marriage apart. However, the case takes an unexpected twist which tests Val’s ability as a detective.
Verdict on Barber
Barber is a crime thriller following a private detective taking on a case of a missing young woman. It follows him investigating something much bigger than he expected. He must risk his career and family to solve the case and open up corruption bigger than anyone expected.
This movie gives us an interesting mystery, one that takes plenty of twists and turns. It shows how corrupt the system is and how people in power believe they can get away with anything. However, it ends up feeling like we are watching a side story to something much bigger going on. It felt like we were following a TV detective who was helping with a case that they had left for someone else to deal with the outcome.
Where to Watch
a JustWatch
Final Thoughts – Barber feels like an early story for a detective with more stories.
