"...a fascinating, moving and powerful film that brilliantly captures a unique Irish genius".

"As inspiring a rock documentary as any in recent memory. … essential viewing for anybody with the faintest trace of musical taste…. One of the many achievements of this documentary is that it captures something of the precarious path MacGowan travels between real talent and the temptations and frustrations of celebrity."

"Really, really worth seeing - even if you only have a vague acquaintance with the music and the legend of Shane and the Pogues."

"… a candid look at the life and times of the man many consider one of the great poets of his era…. Enthralling stuff."

"MacGowan's hypnotic presence fills the screen and resonates with the audience who are ultimately left to decide whether he has paid too high a price for the poetry and songs of this incredible soundtrack. "

"The rare achievement of Sarah Share is that she delineates the man from the mess. Turns out his hardest drug is romanticism: His emerald-eyed angel of a girlfriend admits that he idealizes her as much as he does Ireland."