Irish war of independence and civil war told realistically

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2006)

It is impossible to review this film without making references to Neil Jordan's "Michael Collins", so I'll get the comparisons out of the way. This is a far better film. There is none of the romance that became a little hard to stomach in Jordan's film, and thankfully, no Julia Roberts. As an Irish person, I could actually feel the sting of race memory while I watched some of the film's bitterest scenes. You don't have to be Irish though to know what this film is all about and why so many reviewers were uncomfortable with it. It is set in County Cork and the rural environment creates a stark atmosphere, similar to that captured in Mel Gibson's "Braveheart". In fact, this movie has greater similarities to Gibson's Scottish epic than Neil Jordan's biopic of Michael Collins. Killian Murphy gives a wonderful performance as Damien, a medical student whose principles lead him away from medicine into a world of guerrilla warfare. Watch out for how well Murphy plays being passive.His character is anything but passive. Yet Killian Murphy finds that other level to portray a truly three dimensional role. There are fine performances from Liam Cunningham and Orla Fitzgerald also. There are times when this movie has the quality of a "fly-on-the-wall" documentary to it. This effect makes the violence more disturbing and realistic. It isn't all about guns and beatings though. The dialog is scripted in such a way as to make some of the more ambiguous issues in the Irish Civil War and struggle for freedom very clear. I could talk about this film all night. Just go and see it.