The Banshees Of Inisherin Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

3. Martin McDonagh's Superb Direction

It's basically a given at this point that Martin McDonagh is one of the most skilled and consistent filmmakers working right now, and in The Banshees of Inisherin he once again confirms how ridiculously confident he is as an artist.

It would be incredibly easy for a lesser director to lose grasp of the film's tricky tone, either falling too far in the way of comedy or drama and allowing one to undercut the other.

And yet, the balance here is basically perfect, which in conjunction with the stunning performances McDonagh elicits from his cast makes it damn-near certain that he'll be one of the five filmmakers nominated for the Best Director Oscar next year.

He'll have a steep hill to climb to dethrone Steven Spielberg - the decisive favourite right now for The Fabelmans - but on its own merits, the film provides yet further proof that McDonagh is an astoundingly skilled and singular artist.