Slow-paced and dignified, Barber plays by genre rules. Set in Dublin, the story follows private eye Val Barber (Aiden Gillen) as he investigates the disappearance of a young co-ed. It’s a mystery more interested in character than plot, one that offers very little in the way of action or suspense.
Director Fintan Connolly, who co-wrote the script with producer Fiona Bergin, understands the detective formula. A former cop, Barber antagonizes crooks and police alike. Like most movie private eyes, he’s hard-bitten, heartbroken, the keeper of secrets, and last resort of the exploited.
Barber harbors a pretty big secret that is telegraphed early on, one that affects his private life as much as his work. Bergin and Connolly saddle the detective with additional problems: Kate (Aisling Kearns), a slightly brain-damaged and demanding daughter; Monica (Helen Behan), a needy ex-wife who’s in a disappointing relationship; and Tony Quinn (Liam Carney), Barber’s nemesis, an angry, abusive cop who’s on the take.
Other characters from the past haunt Barber, but in true hardboiled fashion he soldiers on. Clues lead to Eunan Brady (Nick Dunning), a high-profile politico under Quinn’s protection. Barber keeps asking the wrong kinds of questions, despite the target on his back.
Fans of the genre will find enough to enjoy in Barber. Connolly tries to take a realistic approach to the plot. The chases, stake-outs, interrogations, and clues are all reasonably convincing, if not especially fresh. Dark alleys, quiet pubs, the occasional mansion or high-end restaurant could have come straight out of an Irish Chandler novel.
Barber’s character is not especially compelling, at least the way Gillen portrays him. Even so, the plot forces him to confront issues in his life he’s tried to avoid. And by continuing his investigation despite risk to her personal and public life, Barber eventually takes on heroic characteristic.
Still, Barber is so low-key viewers will have plenty of time picking apart plot points or questioning characters’ choices. Covid leaves a pall over the production. Masks appear and disappear, you can spot social distancing posters on hospital walls, and the entire film has an emptiness recognizable from pandemic times.
Dublin looks beautiful in Owen McPolin’s cinematography, and several grace notes lift the film out of the ordinary. Like the map of Dublin behind Barber’s office desk, or the slightly askew help from his secretary Oxana (Irma Mali). What distinguishes Barber the most is the fact that its lead characters are believably troubled people who are just trying to do their best.
Credits
Directed by: Fintan Connolly. Written by: Fiona Bergin & Fintan Connolly. Produced by: Fiona Bergin. Starring: Aidan Gillen, Aisling Kearns, Gary Lydon, Helen Behan, Deirdre Donnelly, Liam Carney.
In theaters and on demand September 22.
Photos: Aiden Gillen as Val Barber. Courtesy Brainstorm Media.
