challenging , gut wrenching, dark, powerful

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2006)

This is a very dark (both physically and mentally) movie, a challenge to watch , over two hours, and still very powerful. It made me cry, twice, and I left the cinema with a a lump in my throat.
It is surely not possible to make a movie about this ugly time in Irish history, without the movie itself being "a terrible beauty". You cannot make a story like this into something pretty or digestible. Wars of independence and Civil wars are indescribably ugly.
The pace of the movie was uneven.
Some of the accents are very strong and difficult to follow, which might inhibit some viewers. Sometimes when characters use native Gaelic, the subtitles do not explain what they say.
I thought that the movie showed as much brutality on either side. So I disagree with the overwhelming negativism of the British media about this movie. Probably their attention span cannot reach two hours.
Interesting that the movie covered such non military topics as fledgling 'court case' (with the position of women), the Irish separation issue in the context of the British Empire, the closeness of the cultures, and the economic debates of the protagonists.
Disappointing that the movie did not mention the hundreds of thousands of Irishmen (from the now republic) who fought for Britain in the 1914-1918 war, which itself shaped the views of many towards the treaty.
Acting was OK, but no standout performances for me, despite the two powerful scenes that were gut wrenching and wretched: the shooting of the young traitor, and the firing-squad scene.
Overall, very worthwhile and memorable.