Danny Boy

The world is changing and progressing. No one or group can lag behind, as it means certain death. Thus the friendship between two small-time crooks is challenged by evolving values in director Cory DeMeyer’s short film, Danny Boy.

On a dark night in Los Angeles, Frances (writer Sammy Horowitz) sits in his car waiting for Danny Boy (Jett Janson) to arrive for their next job. Time is of the essence as Danny needs to return to work for his alibi to hold proper weight. The job is simple — run into a specific house and steal a bag. Their associate Stevie B gave Frances all the information they need for the heist. Unfortunately, before the operation begins, Stevie is a no-show. Now, tensions start to rise as Danny is concerned about the missing Stevie. This stress is exacerbated further when Frances tells a story of a friend caught and outed as a gay man. Danny is put off by such homophobia.

“…tensions start to rise as Danny is concerned about the missing Stevie.”

The story of Danny Boy takes place in the front seat of the car and is told as a conversation on the way to the heist. The discomfort occurs between the homophobia exhibited by Frances and the progressive values of Danny, especially regarding being gay within the mob hierarchy. Horowitz builds this unease to a clash of personalities because of the violent nature of both Danny and Frances.

Since the story is dialogue-heavy, the edge-of-your-seat tension between Danny and Frances needed to be presented with more gravitas and weight. Unfortunately, their conversation is just a little too casual, meaning the events leading to the outcome need to built up more, the stakes reinforced better, for audiences to truly engage with the narrative. The production is simple and makes effective use of the nighttime lighting with bright blues inside the car and the red lights revealing the surprises in Frances’ trunk. Danny Boy does a good job highlighting the conflict between old and new and set against the framework of mob violence.