Beautifully made

Rating: 7/10 (9 July 2007)

A lovely albeit tragic story told in the best possible way, "The Wind that shakes the Barley" is a an excellent historical film. Cillian Murphy excels in his portrayal as a man caught up in events well beyond his control. As anyone with a love of Irish music knows, the title "The Wind that shakes the Barley" is a song about a rebel who sacrifices his love for his cause, and that's exactly what Damian (Cillian Murphy) does. At the outset,he's apathetic to the cause wanting more to go to Medical School than to get involved in fighting that he sees as pointless. As events unfold he becomes more involved and indeed, becomes one of the ringleaders and is ultimately doomed by his unstinting support and involvement. Cillian Murphy is one of those actors you can't help but watch, bringing an intensity to the role. The supporting cast matches him admirably and the story pulls you in. The British are unsympathetically shown, which is a pity, seeing as most of the soldiers sent to Ireland were merely boys and were only there to follow orders. Many of them fell in love with Ireland and the Irish and more than one baby were born of British soldiers during the occupation.