Do you know about Ruairí Robinson’s effects-filled short film “The Silent City”? Robinson is an Academy Award nominated director that had a vision for a film that would tell a short but concise story about wartime the way he wanted it told; but getting financial backers with the same vision for this kind of introspective surreal storytelling, as is usually the case, has been the hardest part of the venture.

Not to be deterred Robinson directs and edits “The Silent City” with virtually a non-existent budget and has created a stunning visual effects film with a gripping character study of the ultimate futility of war that rivals anything I’ve seen since Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” or Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” only on a smaller scale.

This film about three soldiers struggling for survival on a dust-laden, war-torn planet that may or may not be Earth, can now be downloaded and viewed in its entirety online from Robinson’s Official Website. The film is available online in Standard and High Definition formatted versions.

“The Silent City” stars Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, 28 Days Later), Don Wycherley (Veronica Guerin) and Garvan McGrath (A Lonely Sky).

On the Uncle Sam scale of 0 to 5 — I give it 4 and recommend it to all our Slice of SciFi fans. It is well worth your time.