---
title: "The Banshees of Inisherin: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-banshees-of-inisherin/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-banshees-of-inisherin"
critics_score: 85
critics_reviews: 29
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Banshees of Inisherin (2022): what the critics said

Critics' score 85 from 29 reviews: 29 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative.

All 29 reviews are positive and the praise gathers in the same places. Most critics treat this as McDonagh’s best film since In Bruges, and a quieter, more mature one. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are singled out, Farrell most of all, for the hurt he brings to Pádraic. The dialogue is admired for its rhythm and black comedy, and several reviews reach for Beckett as the trivial falling-out turns bleak. Nearly everyone notes the Civil War allegory and thinks it earns its place.

The spread is narrow, running from warm to rapturous. The cooler reviews, chiefly The New York Times and The New Yorker, find McDonagh on familiar turf and the story thin by ordinary standards; The New Yorker credits Kerry Condon with much of its life. The Ringer thinks the wider island community is sketched thinly, and Polygon finds the themes harder to hold together in the final act. Nobody argues the leads are less than excellent.

## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong

Rating 5/5/5. 20 October 2022. 

McDonagh deploys his acerbic wit to an affectionate folktale, reuniting Farrell and Gleeson for an intimate study of small-town dynamics and the bittersweet end of a long friendship. It praises the chemistry, dialogue, and blend of wry humanity with understated visuals that make dramatic beats hit harder.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-banshees-of-inisherin)

## The Times — Kevin Maher

Rating ★★★★★. 21 October 2022. 

Martin McDonagh delivers a visually stunning and consistently witty Beckettian drama that is unafraid to ask serious questions about life. The refined maturation of his signature style results in a perfectly formed piece with lacerating sadness.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/the-banshees-of-inisherin-film-review-martin-mcdonagh-colin-farrell-m2jg2lvcd)

## Empire — Dan Jolin

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2022. 

McDonagh delivers a brutal yet empathetic breakup story between two friends on a remote Irish island during the Civil War. Farrell gives one of his best performances as the devastated Pádraic, supported by strong turns from Gleeson, Condon and Keoghan in a beautifully shot, darkly funny and moving film.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-banshees-of-inisherin/)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2023. 

McDonagh has crafted a stone-cold classic that is a visually stylish, focused take on obsession and a platonic breakup. Farrell delivers a legendary performance in this funny/sad story that deserves Baftas and Oscars and will inspire awe for centuries.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-banshees-of-inisherin-movie-review-colin-farrell-martin-mcdonagh-b1032631.html)

## IndieWire — David Ehrlich

Rating A-. 5 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic hails it as McDonagh's best film since In Bruges, commending the wry tragicomedy of a violent falling out between friends and its poignant exploration of the rift.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-1234758446/)

## Sight and Sound

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2022. 

The critic calls it McDonagh’s most resonant tragicomedy, a reflective and compassionate tale of two friends violently falling out in a small Irish coastal village. It highlights strong performances from Farrell and Gleeson, the mythic island setting, and an advance in the director’s compassionate tone.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/banshees-inisherin-rich-resonant-blackly-funny-tragedy)

## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic calls it one of McDonagh's best and most Irish films, praising the superb acting by Farrell and Gleeson in a story of friendship's abrupt end that balances tragicomic and macabre elements.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-banshees-of-inisherin-colin-farrell-brendan-gleeson-martin-mcdonagh-1235210098/)

## The i Paper — Geoffrey Macnab

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2022. 

Brilliantly performed by Farrell and Gleeson, this is a funny but searching anti-buddy drama as dark and absurd as Samuel Beckett, ranking with McDonagh’s very finest work. It makes you laugh and wince while exploring male friendship, trivial beginnings of conflict, and the Irish Civil War allegory.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-banshees-of-inisherin-colin-farrell-and-brendan-gleeson-shine-in-a-violent-anti-buddy-comedy-1925220)

## The Telegraph

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2022. 

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are terrific in this slippery comedy-drama about a friendship breakdown set against the Irish Civil War. The film uses dazzling comic dialogue to smash open tricky subjects while leaving a black laugh at the end.

[Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/banshees-inisherin-review-colin-farrell-brendon-gleeson-shine/)

## Total Film

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2022. 

McDonagh’s latest is a worthy In Bruges reunion: smart, funny, deeply felt, with another acerbic, darkly amusing and heartbreakingly sad character drama from a master of shifting tones. Farrell and Gleeson are predictably brilliant in this quieter, empathetic take on a breakup movie.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review/)

## Vulture

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic describes it as the best thing McDonagh has done for the screen, a spectacular breakup movie that offers a brilliantly anti-romantic portrait of rural Ireland and deep melancholy.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/banshees-of-inisherins-anti-romantic-portrait-of-ireland.html)

## Variety — Guy Lodge

Rating Critics Pick. 5 September 2022. 

The review hails it as McDonagh’s richest and most moving film, a searing, darkly comic study of male friendship’s devastating breakup with mythic resonance and heartfelt performances.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-colin-farrell-1235360424/)

## Radio Times — Max Copeman

Rating 4/5. 19 October 2022. 

The critic deems it McDonagh’s most mature film yet, a knotty black comedy about a squabble between friends that stealthily becomes an allegorical parable of the Irish Civil War. It singles out the leads’ performances, especially Farrell’s sad-eyed pathos, and the refusal of easy answers.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/banshees-of-inisherin-review/)

## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen

Rating 4/5. 5 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic hails the In Bruges reunion as a melancholy marvel and McDonagh’s best film since that debut, blending belly laughs with emotional gut punches in a ghosting story set in 1920s Ireland. It singles out Farrell’s puppy-dog hurt performance and the haunting break-up tale against the Civil War backdrop.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-banshees-of-inisherin-2022)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2022. 

The critic calls it a caustic and mournful buddy breakup drama, highlighting Farrell’s revelatory performance as a balm of rough-hewn simplicity amid the island’s bleakness and grudges.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-10-20/review-the-banshees-of-inisherin-colin-farrell-brendan-gleeson-martin-mcdonagh)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2022. Festival review. 

The Venice review finds the film starts as rural character farce but grows darker and macabre, with resonant echoes of Irish history and Beckettian despair. It praises the counter-intuitive performances, rhythmic comic dialogue, and the story of an inconsequential feud spinning out of control.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-banshees-of-inisherin-venice-review/5174117.article)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2022. Festival review. 

The film is a macabre black comedy about toxic male pride and wounded feelings set on a remote Irish island during the civil war. It mixes genuine laughs with pain in a compelling study of male loneliness and swallowed anger.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/05/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-martin-mcdonagh)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2022. 

The review finds the black comedy treading familiar turf but animated by strong performances, especially Kerry Condon's, that give life to the whimsy and violence. It singles out the clash between personal grudges and larger historical turmoil.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/10/24/whimsy-and-violence-in-the-banshees-of-inisherin)

## The New York Times — A.O. Scott

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2022. 

The critic views the film as familiar McDonagh territory—a darkly comic feud between friends that is beguiling in its sincerity and characters but might feel thin by conventional standards. It is praised as village gossip given literary polish and a handsome pastoral finish.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/movies/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review.html)

## /Film — Marshall Shaffer

Rating 9.5/10. 5 September 2022. Festival review. 

McDonagh's reflective work explores existential divides through the deconstruction of dialogue in a story about a friendship's end that mirrors the Irish Civil War. It balances zesty humor with creeping isolation and features career-best turns, especially from Farrell and Gleeson.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/994124/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-martin-mcdonaghs-best-film-is-wordsmithing-at-its-wisest-venice/)

## Collider — Brian Formo

Rating A-. 5 September 2022. 

The critic finds the film a darkly charming comedy about feuding friends that engages deeply with its island community. Performances by Farrell, Gleeson, Condon, and Keoghan are highlighted as marvelous.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-brendan-gleeson-colin-farrell-martin-mcdonough/)

## NME — James Mottram

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2022. 

The critic praises the hilarious and profound black comedy about a friendship's abrupt end on a remote Irish island during the Civil War. Farrell and Gleeson's performances, along with sharp dialogue and striking visuals, are singled out as highlights.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-colin-farrell-brendan-gleeson-3333646)

## Paste — Matthew Jackson

Rating 9.8. 28 September 2022. 

The review calls the film a haunting, masterful portrait of mundane despair and one of the best films of the year. It praises the screenplay's balance of bitter notes, comedy, and profound questions about relationships.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/martin-mcdonagh/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review)

## Polygon — Siddhant Adlakha

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2022. 

The critic calls it 2022’s funniest, darkest comedy and a return to form for McDonagh, with rich performances and layered introspections. It singles out the humorous repetition and tonal balance while noting some difficulty stringing themes in the final act.

[Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23414840/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-brendan-gleeson-colin-farrell-in-bruges/)

## Consequence

Rating B+. 17 October 2022. 

The critic describes the film as a tender but devastating meditation on male friendship and civil war, McDonagh's most restrained effort. It highlights the emotional impact of the central conflict as an allegory for larger strife.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2022/10/banshees-of-inisherin-review-martin-mcdonagh/)

## HeyUGuys — Emily Breen

Rating 4/5. 21 October 2022. 

McDonagh crafts an unforgettable journey through the implosion of a friendship between two men on a remote Irish island, using the estrangement to unearth resentments in the community amid parallels to the civil war. The film is a pitch-black tragicomedy buoyed by strong performances from Farrell and Gleeson and sharp direction.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review/)

## The Ringer

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2022. 

The review finds the film transfixing, especially in its central feud and the natural rhythm of Farrell and Gleeson's performances. It praises the bracingly funny verbal jousting while noting some thinness in sketching the larger community.

[Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2022/10/21/movies/banshees-of-inisherin-review-colin-farrell-martin-mcdonagh)

## The Wrap — Steve Pond

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2022. 

The critic describes the film as a quiet, elegiac meditation on mortality and loneliness that remains touching and disturbed, with McDonagh retaining his perversity amid gentle conversations. They single out the priceless performances of Farrell and Gleeson and the blend of lovely and disturbing elements in portraying the island community.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-colin-farrell-brendan-gleeson/)

## Deadline — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic calls it a fiendish tale of a friendship's end, full of bristling humor and startling violence, sustained through twists and serious moments. They praise the vibrant dialogue delivered by the cast and the film's beautiful craftsmanship in capturing the bleakly spectacular Irish setting.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2022/09/the-banshees-of-inisherin-review-martin-mcdonagh-venice-film-festival-1235108378/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-banshees-of-inisherin.md