The Run of the Country

Coming of age in rural Ireland

Near the border of Northern Ireland, an 18 year-old named Danny (Matt Keeslar) leaves home after the death of his mother due to friction with his gruff father, a local cop, (Albert Finney). Danny moves in with his free-spirited friend, Cocoa (Anthony Brophy), and learns the ropes of manhood, including a relationship with a girl from across the border, Annagh (Victoria Smurfit). When crises strike he finally comes to understand some things.

Peter Yates' "The Run of the Country" (1995) is an obscure picture only available on VHS, which isn't relevant in the modern days of streaming. Yet gazillions of people have seen the poster for the movie at a cinema in the 1995 episode of Seinfeld "The Pool Guy" (season 7, episode 8).

This is a realistic coming-of-age drama set in inland Ireland. The acting is effective across the board, especially Finney as the father and Brophy as Danny's wild friend. Simply put, this is quality drama with laughs, romance, conflict, action, crises and gorgeous photography of rural Ireland.

The film runs 1 hour, 49 minutes, and was shot in the Redhills, County Cavan, area of Ireland, near the border of Northern Ireland.

GRADE: B