A young boy gets teased at school for being stupid but he knows something the rest don't his father is a secret agent. Both father and son speak Gaelic, which gives them a bond that his mother lacks but also allows them to protect her from the information they both have that puts them in danger. When the boy goes to the pub to find his father, he learns of the three fingered man, a master criminal who his father is tracking. While his father settles back into another pint of lager, the boy resolves to help bring the three fingered man to justice.
Although it lacks the sharpness and emotional depth that would have made it great, I found it very hard to dislike this film for what it was because of how smart and amusing it was. It is not an original device but we have this dual narrative going on where our narrator tells us his story while, with adult eyes, we are able to see through his innocence and see what is really going on. In this case it will not spoil it for anyone to learn that the boy's dad is not an Irish secret agent but rather an Irish drunk! The film runs with these two threads really well and I enjoyed the contrast and the way it is mostly kept it light and innocent (ie, as a child would see it). The ending is perhaps a bit too tidy but I did enjoy the total product so a minor niggle is fine.
The cast are mostly good, natural before the camera and convincing within their characters. However the real credit goes to Durnin as director because he does a great job of capturing the style of the Hollywood movies as the young boy undertakes his investigation. It all looks great, whether it is the rapid shots or the static room frames I really enjoyed it and felt he gave a lot of energy to an already good script.
Overall then a really enjoyable short film. It could have been a bit deeper and more honest towards the end (the conclusion was a bit too easy) but mostly it flows really well and is pretty smart and fun.
