'The Shadow Of Violence' Trailer: A Dark Drama Set In Rural Ireland

In The Shadow of Violence, a boxer-turned-enforcer finds himself in a perilous position when his criminal bosses order him to kill someone. It's a tense situation that appears to only get tenser as the film goes on. Cosmo Jarvis and Barry Keoghan star in the pic from director Nick Rowland. Watch The Shadow of Violence trailer below.

Well, this certainly looks like a tense film. In The Shadow of Violence, "In the dark underbelly of rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis, Hunter Killer) has become a feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family. When his ruthless employers order him to kill for the first time, his loyalties are tested in this powerful thriller costarring Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk) and Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders)." Niamh Algar (The Virtues, Pure) also stars.

The Shadow of Violence marks the directorial debut of Nick Rowland from a script by Joe Murtagh, adapted from a short story in Colin Barrett's book Young Skins. Regarding the film, Rowland released the following statement:

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"At first glance, The Shadow of Violence can be seen as a tense crime thriller, which has one foot planted in visceral genre filmmaking. However, the heart of the film is about loyalty, family, and fatherhood. It is a film about how bad relationships dictate the life of the abused and sedate their self-awareness through fear and habit. I wanted to explore how a community can misunderstand, or even take advantage of vulnerable people, and show how it's also possible to turn your back on these abuses.

"I was fascinated by how the characters are chained together by co-dependence and a selfish love. Dympna is best friends with Arm because he uses him for his dirty work. Arm wants Ursula and Jack to stay close because it suits him; not because it is good for his son. Paudi hates that Hector may, one day, fall in love with the widow and run away, leaving him alone. Breaking this cycle is, I guess, in part what the film is about.

"During the adaptation process and planning of this film, my focus has been on staying true to the elements of the source material that make it so unique and rich, while developing and expanding the story to make it an emotional and cinematic experience for the audience.

"It has been great to have Colin Barrett's advice and support throughout the process, and it was a huge honor to be able to play with the world and characters he created. The challenge has been to retain the sense of poetry and sensitivity found in the prose, and translate it into the language of film.

"The world of The Shadow of Violence is energetic, eccentric and beautiful as much as it is dark and threatening. It is a place where violence or laughter could erupt at any moment.  I loved how the audience are propelled forward by the youthful energy and spirit of the central characters. Above all else, I wanted to take the audience on a deeply emotional journey, as we explore this brutal world through the eyes of our deeply vulnerable protagonist, as he grapples with his conscience and desire to do what is best for his son."

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All the press materials for the film say it's opening only in theaters on July 31, 2020, but I have my doubts about the accuracy of that statement at this point. Guess we'll have to wait and see.