Michael McDonagh re-team for another winning pitch-black comedy, this one about a priest who will be murdered by an anonymous partitioner at week's end, unless he can restore the man's faith in life itself. Gleeson owns the film as Father James, who is being held accountable for another priest abusing the partitioner as a boy, the logic being that killing a good priest like James would command people's attention.

Throughout the fateful week we're introduced to local characters, any of whom could be the potential murderer, and also to James' daughter Fiona, subtly played by standout Kelly Reilly. The film's overarching themes of redemption and forgiveness are played out within this strained familial relationship, lending emotional weight to the mysterious and sometimes quirky proceedings.

The final showdown does not disappoint, and in it we find a Father James who is no holier than thou, just someone trying to help others, perhaps even more than himself. For all its lush photography of the Emerald Isle and nuanced performances from a solid ensemble, Calvary ascends on its unruffled truism that faith is inherently manmade.

Final Grade: B+ | 89/100 | ★★★½