A great underseen Irish thriller movie is airing on TV tonight

The film features one of the stars of Kin and Love/Hate in the lead role.

In the 2023 film, the actor plays Val Barber, an ex-Garda turned private investigator who is hired by a wealthy widow to find her missing granddaughter (Isabelle Connolly, God's Creatures).

As Barber looks into the young woman's disappearance, he uncovers a network of powerful men with shady morals who are determined to thwart his investigation.

These powerful people are also being protected by some of Barber's former cop colleagues, which dredges up old trauma for the PI.

Barber saw Gillen re-team with director Fintan Connolly after their previous collaboration on the movie Trouble with Sex.

Their latest film also features an impressive supporting cast of Irish actors. These includes Aisling Kearns (Darklands), Camille O'Sullivan (Re-Creation), Desmond Eastwood (Normal People), Gary Lydon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Gerard Mannix Flynn (Cal), Helen Behan (The Virtues), Jimmy Smallhorne (Taken Down), Liam Carney (Calm with Horses), Rúaidhrí Conroy (Six Shooter), Simone Collins (All You Need is Death) and Steve Wall (Oddity).

Thanks to its hard-bitten underdog PI hero (played by Gillen at his most likeable) and its compelling tale of a vast-reaching conspiracy, Barber works great as a cool throwback to classic noirs that happens to take place in the Irish capital.

But because it's set on the streets of Covid-era Dublin - still slightly desolate due to pandemic restrictions - and because of the particulars of Barber's life and the case he is investigating, the movie also gradually evolves into this very fascinating portrait of a changing Ireland.

While well-liked by critics upon its cinema release, we do wish the film had become a bigger hit. This is because we want to see a sequel or a TV series where Gillen's Val Barber investigates another case.

Barber is airing on TV tonight on RTÉ One at 9.35pm. The Irish movie is also currently streaming on the service NOW.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

Happy Gilmore - Comedy Central - 9pm

Adam Sandler’s classic ’90s comedy about a failed ice hockey player who discovers he has a knack for golf.

Terminator: Dark Fate - Film4 - 9pm

Both Arnie and Linda Hamilton return in this solid, most recent Terminator sequel.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back - Sky Showcase - 9pm

Tom Cruise is back as ex-soldier turned crime-solving drifter Jack Reacher in this lacklustre action sequel.

Blitz / War - Legend Xtra - 9pm / 10.55pm

It's a Jason Statham-led double bill. The first movie is pretty good. The second, not so much.

Highlander III: The Final Dimension - Legend Xtra - 9pm

The third, not very well-regarded entry in the soon-to-be-rebooted fantasy action-adventure franchise.

Apollo 13 - TG4 - 9.35pm

This Oscar-winning thriller drama tells the true-life tale of the disastrous 13th Apollo mission and stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton and Ed Harris.

Django Unchained - Channel 4 - 10pm

Quentin Tarantino's Western epic about a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) who tries to rescue his captive wife (Kerry Washington) from a sadistic plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Zombieland: Double Tap - MTV - 10pm

The long-awaited follow-up to 2009’s hit zom-rom-com.

The Guest - Legend Xtra - 11pm

The modern cult classic thriller from 2014 starring Dan Stevens (Abigail) as a recently discharged US soldier who heads to New Mexico to visit the grieving family of one of his now-deceased friends in the army.

While the family welcome the charming soldier with open arms, is there more to him than meets the eye?

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - BBC One - 11.10pm

Renee Zellweger’s second outing as the title character, a woman in London trying to make sense of life, love, and relationships.

Infinity Pool - Film4 - 11.35pm

This very dark sci-fi thriller stars Alexander Skarsgård (Succession) and Cleopatra Coleman (Cobweb) as a wealthy couple holidaying at an all-inclusive resort on a fictional island.

Guided by a seductive and mysterious fellow vacationer (a scene-stealing Mia Goth, Pearl), the couple breaks the rules of the resort and ventures outside its grounds, opening the door to unexpected horrors…

Getting Away with Murder - Virgin Media Three - 11.35pm

This ’90s black comedy with Dan Aykroyd, Lily Tomlin and Jack Lemmon holds a rare 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s probably best to avoid.

Hart's War - RTÉ2 - 11.40pm

A World War II-set legal thriller starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell.

Turn your home into a cinema with this projector 

Do you love movies? Have you ever dreamt of turning your home into your own cinema?

If so, then you may be interested in a home theatre projector we spotted on sale on Amazon with “impressive quality”.

The 4K projector has the likes of YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video built-in, so you can access thousands of films and shows without an additional TV stick, and you can also connect it to Bluetooth on your phone and laptop.

It’s currently priced at €53.52 in a limited-time deal on the Amazon website.

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