Sweety Barrett is a giant of a man. When he loses his job at a travelling circus he goes to the port of Dockery, looking for work. His simple nature makes him easy prey for the smugglers who operate in this corrupt town which is dominated by the vicious detective, Bone.

Brendan Gleeson who has gone on to star in The General and Mission Impossible, plays the lead role of the man with the mind of a child. He strikes up a friendship with a six-year old boy called Conor (newcomer Dylan Murphy) who dreams of being a fire-eater. Sweety’s naivity, however, causes him to be unwittingly used by Bone and his gang to do their dirty work. When Conor’s father Leo is released from prison and resumes a vendetta with Bone, he becomes an innocent party caught up in a dangerous and unexpected spiral of events. But just when it seems that Bone is getting away with murder, Sweety exacts a spectacular revenge.

Director: Stephen Bradley
Ireland 1998.
Drama.
88 mins.