Black '47 (2018)

Seven years after Black ’47 stunned audiences with its brutal depiction of revenge during the Irish Famine, a sequel emerges from the ashes. Black ’48: Ashes of Vengeance picks up where the original left off—this time expanding its focus from personal vendetta to a broader rebellion.

The new film, directed by Irish filmmaker Aoife McArdle, returns us to the famine-stricken land of 1848. The Great Hunger continues to ravage the Irish countryside, and resistance begins to smolder. With Feeney presumed dead, the story follows Máire Feeney, his younger sister, now grown and radicalized by her family’s suffering. Played by Niamh Algar, Máire joins a rising wave of nationalist fighters plotting to strike at the very heart of the British Empire in Ireland.

What unfolds is part revenge thriller, part war film, and part historical meditation. As Máire moves from guerrilla raids to full-scale sabotage operations, she walks the line between liberation and terrorism—forcing the audience to reckon with uncomfortable truths about colonialism, justice, and sacrifice.

The film is unflinching in its portrayal of suffering. From burned villages to secret famine burial pits, the camera never lets us forget the stakes. The action is intense but never glorified. Battles are short, brutal, and grounded in muddy, rain-soaked reality. Cinematographer Robbie Ryan returns to paint the Irish landscape in tones of ash and blood, creating a haunting visual poetry that echoes the original film’s desolation.

What sets Black ’48 apart is its moral complexity. There is no simple hero. Máire is both avenger and insurgent, compassionate and merciless. Algar delivers a standout performance, showing a woman torn between rage and hope. Her interactions with a disillusioned British officer (played by rising actor Joe Alwyn) add depth, exploring the blurred lines between occupier and occupied.

Though not as tightly focused as its predecessor, Black ’48 succeeds in widening the lens. It becomes not just a personal story, but a national one. It reminds us that history isn’t just written in treaties and speeches—but in fire, hunger, and rebellion.