Barber

A fairly rote crime drama but a fascinating glimpse of a world in transition.

Barber pulls from film noir and adds themes around the #MeToo movement, LGBTQ+ rights, and the COVID-19 pandemic to what is otherwise a fairly run-of-the-mill crime thriller.

The plot ultimately hinges on questions of loyalty, but director Fintan Connolly and his co-writer Fiona Bergin are keener on juxtaposing the different eras than relating what's going on.

Solid if unexpectedly PG-13-ish Irish private eye thriller.

It turns into a compelling character study rather than a hard-boiled detective story.

Although it treads familiar narrative territory, this gritty and evocative Irish thriller benefits from a solid performance by Aiden Gillen in the title role.

Just unique and original enough to work, elevated by a strong leading turn and something important to say about sexual identity and corrupt law enforcement


Barber ... only makes the convincing case that this character is intriguing on a theoretical level.

Connolly’s film works more as a shrewd character study than a tough, cynical thriller, though it is, indeed, both.

Director and co-writer Fintan Connolly takes a subdued, matter-of-fact approach to both the criminal investigation and the queer content.