HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN is a stylish revenge tragedy about Irish youth at risk. It is tough to watch and may remind you of Catch 22 or Moulin Rouge at times. It may be difficult to watch when murders of homeless men are on the news. Like Euphoria or other films of excess, it is hard to look away.
Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman), Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), and Kearney are best friends, and they plan to spend their last youthful summer in knockabout fashion. Matthew is our narrator and somewhat of a blank slate. Kearney calls Rez out as a moody Hamlet. But Finn Cole as Kearney is a sensational evil charmer. He aspires to escape his dreary life in Dublin by going to America, and his fantastical appearances on an American-style talk show are mesmerizing. He tries to escape his abusive father but is a liar Kearney is a seductive liar to friend and foe.
Anya Taylor-Joy is lovely as the woman who may eventually love Matthew. I wished the parents - Susan Lynch as Matthew's mother and Conleth Hill as Kearney's father - had been fleshed out.
Based on Rob Doyles's acclaimed first novel, Eoin Macken directs his screenplay with style and verve. I found Ryan Potesta's score, James Mather's cinematography, and Colin Campbell's editing all first-rate.
Fast-paced and visceral, HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN has anarchic energy which fascinates. But it is Finn Cole you will remember.
Beware - the trailer below has spoilers. HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN can be found on Amazon.