Not a farse

Rating: 10/10 (22 January 2002)

Naive or not, the film version of Bloody Sunday couldn't do anything else but show the pandemoneum and confusion of a massacre of many innocent people. This confusion was shown on both sides. An army of young men being thrown into a situation which they didn't understand. A people of a City riddled with gerrymandering and oppression.
The film showed stones being answered by guns and gas. As a British citizen I was moved and shocked. The film brought to life the many books i've read on the subject. It didn't point blame. It was never shown in the film who fired first but it showed that both sides fired. It documented how 13 people protesting for civil rights (majority of them children) were gunned down in cold blood by a 'peace keeping' security force. The bodies are the evidence, their memory is the legacy.
This film highlights the importance of sensitivity when approaching the dark days of our history. It succeeds where so many films fail by showing that no good can come from such events. A sterling performance from James Nesbitt shows that he is a versatile actor not afraid of approaching difficult and controversial roles. Perhaps we should forget the bickering and respect this for what it is; a stylistically impressive and well acted movie.