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| STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED |
| Unmissable |
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| Excellent |
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| Good |
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| Poor |
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| Tragic |
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| FILM DETAILS | Certificate
15 | | Cast
James Quinn McDonagh
Paddy Quinn McDonagh
Michael Quinn McDonagh
Big Jim Joyce. | | Directors
Ian Palmer. | | | Screenwriters | | Running Time
96 minutes |
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Knuckle
The real-life Snatch
Plot
A documentary charting the brutal business of bare-fist fighting in the Irish traveller community. Review
The fights may lack the dynamism of the donnybrook in John Ford’s The Quiet Man, but Ian Palmer’s insight into how Irish traveller families still resort to fisticuffs to settle disputes more than atones in raw power. The Quinn McDonagh and Joyce clans are equally garrulous and ready to give their side of a feud that has been rumbling since the early ’90s. But it’s the footage of past bouts and the seething hatred emanating from the challenge videos that hooks Palmer, who admits to becoming unhealthily fascinated by the posturing and ritual surrounding each showdown. The main focus falls on undefeated James Quinn McDonagh. But characters like his brother Michael, Big Jim Joyce and Ditsy Nevin ensure there is never a dull moment.
Verdict
Chock full of larger-than-life characters, it's an enthralling insight into a raw, bloodied world.
Reviewed by David Parkinson
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