Lehiff Colin Farrell opens the film by charming a Dublin cashier, then quickly turns on charm to steal from the till after an impulsive act of violence. The story widens to follow John Cillian Murphy and Deirdre Kelly Macdonald, a recently separated couple whose world expands into a close-knit group of friends, each carrying their own secrets, ambitions, and frustrations. The tone blends a raw street-level realism with a dark, human-focus, painting a portrait of a city where small offenses ripple through tangled lives.
The plot threads interweave as Lehiff’s reckless behavior collides with the city’s rougher edges. Garda Detective Jerry Lynch, a relentless figure who presents himself as a protector against Dublin’s “scumbags,” recruiters a younger filmmaker, Ben Campion, to chronicle the cruising chaos of the streets in a documentary-style frame. Into this mix steps Mick, a Dublin bus driver whose routine ride is interrupted by Sally, a passenger who questions her own appearance in an oddly intimate, awkward moment of teasing that foreshadows the uneasy dynamics to come.
On a longer route, a rock thrown by a boy named Philip sets off a crash that drags all the principal players into a dangerous scheme. Following the crash, Ben’s involvement shifts the mood toward consequence and exposure, while Deirdre’s sister Sally becomes a focal point of bitterness for those left to pick up the pieces. Deirdre’s partner, Sam, who has left his fourteen-year marriage with Noeleen, becomes a beacon for a different kind of vulnerability, drawing out conflicts about trust, loyalty, and the meaning of love.
As John tries to cope with the ache of losing Deirdre, his attempts to move on are muddied by encounters at a singles bar with friends and strangers alike. Oscar, a colleague, tries to lift John’s spirits, but the night spirals into a web of mistaken connections and uneasy romances, including the uneasy fallouts with Noeleen. The film then pivots to a tense kidnapping plot: Mick, Lehiff, and John—disguised and desperate—kidnap Sam and seize Deirdre, forcing Sam to go to his bank to withdraw money for a ransom. The plan spirals out of control when the pressure of the scheme ignites a confrontation.
Lehiff’s guard over Deirdre grows increasingly erratic, and the tension erupts as Deirdre’s voice betrays John’s disguise. The attempted abduction leaves Deirdre shaken and marks a turning point in their relationships, while Mick’s spiraling desperation contributes to a larger city-wide sense of peril. The aftermath of the crash casts a long shadow as Mick loses his job and becomes obsessed with revenge on the boy who caused it. The pursuit ends in tragedy when Mick’s car teeters on the canal, and the boy Philip completes a fatal act that seals the evening’s grim arc.
The pursuit culminates in a dramatic confrontation: Lynch corners Lehiff in an open field, and as Ben films the tense moment, Lehiff fights to survive. The showdown ends when Ben wrests the gun away and shoots Lehiff, with Lynch choosing to cover up the incident to protect the fragile balance of fear and order on the streets.
In the final act, Oscar begins a new relationship with Sally, while John and Deirdre finally reunite, suggesting a fragile restoration of the old bonds. The closing scenes linger on Noeleen and Sam, now back together, as they sit inside their home—Noeleen’s quiet control of the remote hinting at the underlying power dynamics that have threaded through their lives. The film closes on a note of quiet, unsettled tension, leaving viewers to ponder how love, violence, and memory continue to pull at the ties that bind this Dublin community.
