Our Legal system rots because people don't empathize

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2006)

Gerry Conlon is a small time thief and happy-go-lucky man in Ireland. He attracts a lot of attention of the Britian occupied Ireland authorities and IRA because of his loud behavior. Gerry's father, Guisseppe, sends his son to Britain thinking it would be a little less dangerous for his accident prone son. Little does he know that Gerry's behavior will result in Gerry, his friends and himself landing up in the jail falsely accused of planting bombs. Police tortures and makes a scapegoat out of this bunch of innocent people. Guissepe dies in the jail fighting against the ruling with a lawyer, Gareth Peirce. It takes 14 years for the court to dismiss the case against the innocent people. Based on a true story.
Its a very thought provoking film. This film reminds me of a very good Indian film 'Andha Kanoon'(Blind Law). There is a fantastic line in the title track of the film which says "Jail Main Kitne Log Sade, Sooli Pe Nirdosh Chadhe"(so many innocent people have rotted in the Jails and hung on the line). That exactly is the theme of this film. I rented this film to understand the IRA conflict but this film taught me more than that. It is so scary to see people dwelling in the jail for the crimes they have not committed. This film is an example that we are goofed up as human beings and not as Indians or Americans or Britishiers. Every Country has a legal system which can be manipulated and used by influential people. It raises the same age old question again "Is the legal system working for human beings?". My answer to that is "Its not". Indian philosophy behind the legal system is "better ten guilty men go free rather than one innocent man die". This philosophy is just as good as "love thy neighbors" and is practically as feasible. All countries have problems with their neighboring countries and thousands dwell in the jails because no one cared to fight for their freedom. Our legal system need drastic changes. I think the only way is UN but UN itself needs a lot of reformations.
A very well deserved 7 Oscars nominations. Why Didn't get a single finally?. Simple. There was Schindler's list and obviously any anti-Hitler or anti-Stalin film is an all Oscar winner. Remember Hitler was an imperialist and England and America dropped an H-bomb for the freedom of the mankind? Daniel Day-Lewis as Gerry is very good. Pete Postlethwaite as Guisseppe is also very good. I think the biggest challenge for the director was to show 35 years old Daniel Day lewis a young Gerry Conlon and then about 40 years old during the trial. I think Daniel, make-up crew and cameraman did a fantastic job in that area. Pete was just wonderful when he played an unhealthy old man. Very good acting. Riot scenes were very well done and 'Voodoo child' really worked. This was my first Emma Thompson film. All the reviews I read before the watching the film were written as if Emma was the central character. She obviously is a good actor but I don't understand what was that euphoria about. I went online to check if she is a 'Paris Hilton' kind of celebrity (people you can never figure out what they actually do) but even that was not true. I think its one of those unsolved mysteries of life.
Anyways. A very good film. 9 on 10.