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Already being hailed as the Emerald Isle's answer to "Amores Perros" (though it actually bears little resemblance to that Mexican shaggy dog story apart from its multiple narrative setup) this raucously funny and compellingly gritty ensemble piece comes complete with plenty of snap, crackle and Irish pop.

It's set in a cranky, no-frills Dublin - more police mug shot than picture post card. Colin Farrell is yobbish hooligan Lerhiff, trying to escape the long arm of Colm Meaney's rabid rozzer who lives to bring him down.

Meanwhile, Lerhiff is also planning a bank job that'll involve John (Cillian Murphy), a supermarket shelf stacker whose girlfriend (Kelly Macdonald) has just run off with slaphead banker Sam (Michael McElhatton). He also happens to be the manager of the bank that Lerhiff's got his eye on.

Delivering a foulmouthed performance that single-handedly bumps the film's certificate up into the high teens, Farrell proves that - despite being Beverly Hills' pet Irish man - he's still willing to get his hands dirty for less than six figures.

Stealing the movie in the outrageous opening scene, the tattooed star's livewire performance comes with an accent so thick it'll doubtless need to be subtitled for American audiences. On top of that, he's got enough blagger-swagger to make Begbie in "Trainspotting" look like a Blue Peter presenter.

Ensemble dramas are always more than the sum of the top billed name, though, and "Intermission" proves to be a real actors' showcase, with three outstanding performances from Henderson, MacDonald and Murphy.

Towering head and shoulders above all of them is Colm Meaney, whose role as the vicious policeman lets the old Star Trek hand play against type. He delivers a truly riveting performance as a half-cocked cyclone of pent-up nastiness.

Fast-paced, hilarious and completely convinced by its own Blarney, this is Ireland's best export since, well, Colin Farrell.