Excellent film

Rating: 10/10 (14 September 2006)

I was stunned by the power of this film from it's very outset. This was a very intense and gritty portrayal of the War of Independence and the even more gruesome civil war. I couldn't stop thinking about the film for days after seeing it. The characters were fantastic, particularly Liam Cunningham and Cillian Murphy, and the debates were very well done in the style only Ken Loach seems capable of capturing: honest, harsh, clumsy and eloquent. It was a harsh and ultimately sad film, a true reflection of the times. The slating of this film as 'pro-terrorist' or 'pro-republican' is typical of someone who hasn't bothered watch it or is so blinkered by the old colonial view that any challenge to the Crown forces is an act of terrorism. There were terrorists on both sides, with the British Black and Tans being exceptionally brutal in their methods. This was a product of sending battle-hardened, illiterate and working-class British soldiers from the trenches of World War 1 France run riot throughout the island of Ireland under direct orders from the top brass.
Another excellent piece of work from Ken Loach. His best yet.