CFF60 review - NAME YOUR POISON by Paddy Hayes
The story of Michael Molloy, the Irish man who wouldn't die. NAME YOUR POISON is a documentary by PADDY HAYES, and screened at the 60th CORK FILM FESTIVAL.
Every year there is a number of bi-lingual documentaries, in the English language and Irish language, produced in Ireland and primarily aimed at a television audience. Most of them remain quite similar, but are nevertheless a treat to watch on the big screen. Such is the case with the extremely likeable and entertaining NAME YOUR POISON by PADDY HAYES, that tells the fascinating story of a man who would not die.
Set in the Bronx in the Great Depression, this is a tale that has effectively made it into american folklore of the first half of he twentieth century. It tells the true story of a man named Michael Molloy, an Irish immigrant, who was a hopeless alcoholic. His desperate state was so much that he was effectively worth more dead than alive to a bunch of crooks who ran a bar and, after taking out a policy on his life, attempted to murder him in countless of ways, with countless of their attempts failing.
HAYES understands the dark comedy appeal of the story, and uses a number of ways to make NAME YOUR POISON all the more entertaining as a result. One of these is the use of recreation. Despite the dodgy American accents by an obviousl bunch of Irish fellows, these are a lot of fun and reveal the story's potential as a piece of fictional cinema based on a true story. On top of that, it is shot in a speakeasy lighting sort of way, and with a style that recalls the gangster flicks and classics set in the Great Depression. This style is also employed in the more factual moments of the film - for instant in the introductions of the experts.