--- title: "The Butcher Boy" year: 1998 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-butcher-boy" fi1m_id: "the-butcher-boy" imdb_id: "tt0118804" tmdb_id: 22797 wikidata_id: "Q14899273" fi1m_score: 74 critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-09-26T02:53:00.714389+00:00" updated: "2026-09-26T02:53:00.985127+00:00" region: "DE" 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 Butcher Boy (1998) Directed by Neil Jordan · 1h 50m · Comedy, Drama ## Identity The Butcher Boy - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-butcher-boy - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-butcher-boy - **IMDb ID:** tt0118804 - **TMDB ID:** 22797 - **Wikidata ID:** Q14899273 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118804/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/22797, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14899273 **Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 65 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* Eamonn Owens makes the adults look as though they have wandered into his film without permission > Eamonn Owens makes Neil Jordan’s troubled-childhood comedy worth the discomfort. Its jaunty handling of distress can be a distraction, but the performances give us good reason to stay. ## Synopsis Francie Brady (Eamonn Owens) is at the centre of a troubled childhood, told through his own perspective. Joe Purcell (Alan Boyle) and Mrs. Nugent (Fiona Shaw) feature in his account, alongside Da Brady (Stephen Rea), Ma Brady (Aisling O’Sullivan) and Uncle Arlo (Ian Hart). Francie’s view of the people around him shapes a story that combines comedy and drama. Adapted from Patrick McCabe’s novel, it stays with the child’s account of growing up rather than offering the adults an equal say. ## Review Neil Jordan’s *The Butcher Boy* is a good, disquieting film with a habit of enjoying its own mischief for too long. Adapting Patrick McCabe’s novel, the director and novelist build the screenplay around a troubled child’s account of his world. The difficulty is that Francie Brady can be entertaining even when his troubles should make us pause. For much of the film that tension holds our attention; occasionally the comedy carries on when we need a little quiet. Eamonn Owens is the reason it works as often as it does. He gives Francie a conviction that makes him hard to dismiss, and the performance never settles into mere cuteness. We laughed at Francie’s self-assurance, then felt uneasy about how readily we had taken to him. His energy makes us want to keep watching, which matters when the film asks for attention that a more dutifully solemn performance might have lost. Stephen Rea’s Da Brady gives the film weight without forcing it into a different style. There is an unhappiness in the performance that the comedy cannot quite clear away. Fiona Shaw’s Mrs. Nugent is sharply drawn, although the narrowness of Francie’s perspective can make an adult seem fully explained simply because he has decided what to think of her. Both performances matter because they give us something to attend to beyond the boy’s account. Adrian Biddle’s cinematography makes the grotesque inviting enough to sustain that viewpoint, without making the film feel weightless. Anthony Pratt’s production design helps give the adults’ world a presence of its own. That solidity is useful in a story so closely attached to one child’s perspective: there must be something beyond him, even when he absorbs most of our attention. The work is assured, although its polish occasionally softens the discomfort. Tony Lawson’s editing keeps the comedy moving, but it also exposes the limitation of the film’s jauntiness. There are stretches when a change of emotional pace would help more than continued momentum. Elliot Goldenthal’s music is effective in sustaining unease, less so when it seems to encourage the film’s appetite for mischief. Sometimes we need a moment to consider Francie’s experience without being hurried towards the next source of amusement. A coming-of-age film need not provide a reassuring explanation of its child, and this one is right to resist that obligation. The screenplay is strongest when it allows Francie to remain difficult without supplying an adult correction. Its weakness is the tendency to keep him entertaining at almost any cost. We can accept a child’s distorted judgement without needing every unsettling moment to arrive with the same comic energy. This is worth an evening for viewers willing to feel implicated in their own amusement. Anyone wanting a gentle childhood recollection should look elsewhere, and anyone impatient with a relentlessly lively telling may find the tone wearing. Go for the performances, and allow yourself to stop laughing before the film does. *Fi1m score 74, published 26 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is The Butcher Boy worth watching?** *The Butcher Boy* is worth watching for its performances and unsettling childhood perspective, and we score it 74 out of 100. Eamonn Owens makes Francie Brady compelling company, but we find the persistent comic energy wearing when his distress needs quieter attention; this suits viewers comfortable with laughter that turns uneasy. **How long is The Butcher Boy, and what is it rated?** *The Butcher Boy* runs 1h 50m. It is a comedy and drama film. **Where can I watch The Butcher Boy in Germany?** *The Butcher Boy* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Butcher Boy, and is it suitable for children?** *The Butcher Boy* has a UK 15 certificate and is not suitable for younger children; its troubled-childhood story combines comedy with distress and unease. We find the treatment disquieting rather than reassuring, so older teenagers and adults looking for a gentle coming-of-age film should look elsewhere. **How does The Butcher Boy compare to Kes?** *The Butcher Boy* is more insistently mischievous than [*Kes*](https://film.one/film/kes), which we recommend for its patient attention to a difficult childhood. Both have compelling central performances, but we find Jordan’s continued pursuit of amusement distracting at times; *Kes* is the stronger choice for viewers who want the child’s hardship given more room. **Is The Butcher Boy based on a true story or a book?** *The Butcher Boy* is adapted from Patrick McCabe’s novel, with McCabe and director Neil Jordan building the screenplay around Francie Brady’s account of his childhood. The film stays close to the child’s perspective rather than giving the adults an equal say, and we recommend it for its performances without requiring familiarity with the book. **What should I watch after The Butcher Boy?** After *The Butcher Boy*, try [*Kes*](https://film.one/film/kes) (1969, Fi1m 88): Another difficult childhood, observed with patience and no interest in making hardship picturesque. Then [*The 400 Blows*](https://film.one/film/the-400-blows) (1959, Fi1m 91): A boy’s disobedience receives the attention and sympathy the adults withhold; and [*Welcome to the Dollhouse*](https://film.one/film/welcome-to-the-dollhouse) (1995, Fi1m 82): Childhood humiliation played for laughs that are often uncomfortable to admit. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Variety**, Emanuel Levy (95/100, inferred): Levy calls the film an accomplished, startlingly original coming-of-age story, praising its bold, haunting treatment of a troubled childhood. He singles out the subjective narration and the performances, especially Eamonn Owens and Stephen Rea. [Read](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/the-butcher-boy-2-1117329623/) - **The Independent**, David Benedict (70/100, inferred): The piece welcomes Jordan’s return to form with The Butcher Boy. It praises his ability to make familiar material grotesque, entrancing and seductive. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/choice-film-the-butcher-boy-1146987.html) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (64/100, inferred): The page is identifiable as a review, but its text was inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the available material. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/03/movies/film-review-ever-a-free-spirit-prankster-turns-hooligan.html) - **Empire**, Christopher Hemblade (60/100, inferred): The review finds Jordan’s adaptation impressive but commercially limited. It singles out Eamonn Owens’s performance and praises Fiona Shaw’s portrayal of Mrs. Nugent. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/butcher-boy-review/) - **Time Out** (35/100, inferred): The review finds the film too jaunty and gleeful for its disturbing subject. It faults Jordan for not pushing the material into a more expressionistic style. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/the-butcher-boy) ## Details - **Director:** Neil Jordan - **Director:** Neil Jordan - **Screenplay:** Neil Jordan, Patrick McCabe - **Novel:** Patrick McCabe - **Cinematography:** Adrian Biddle - **Editor:** Tony Lawson - **Music:** Elliot Goldenthal - **Production design:** Anthony Pratt - **Costume design:** Sandy Powell - **Producer:** Stephen Woolley, Redmond Morris - **Cast:** Eamonn Owens as Francie Brady; Alan Boyle as Joe Purcell; Fiona Shaw as Mrs. Nugent; Stephen Rea as Da Brady; Ian Hart as Uncle Arlo; Peter Gowen as Leddy; Seán McGinley as Sergeant; Aisling O'Sullivan as Ma Brady - **Runtime:** 1h 50m - **First release (Ireland):** 13 July 1997 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama - **Box office:** $5 million ## Where to watch in Germany - Amazon Prime Video: rent €3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy €9.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-26.* Also available in: DE, GB, IE, RO. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - European Film Award for Best Cinematographer 1998: European Film Award for Best Cinematographer (won) - European Film Award for Best Film 1998: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Kes* (1969), Fi1m 88: Another difficult childhood, observed with patience and no interest in making hardship picturesque. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kes.md) - *The 400 Blows* (1959), Fi1m 91: A boy’s disobedience receives the attention and sympathy the adults withhold. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-400-blows.md) - *Welcome to the Dollhouse* (1995), Fi1m 82: Childhood humiliation played for laughs that are often uncomfortable to admit. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/welcome-to-the-dollhouse.md) - *The Spirit of the Beehive* (1973), Fi1m 87: A quieter child’s-eye view, with adult fears pressing into a private imagination. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-spirit-of-the-beehive.md) - *Fanny and Alexander* (1982), Fi1m 92: Family warmth and adult cruelty seen through a child’s unruly imagination. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-butcher-boy