a harrowing portrayal of the struggle for Irish independence and the subsequent Civil War

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2009)

The Wind That Shakes The Barley is a riveting and harrowing depiction of the struggle for Irish independence and the subsequent Civil War.It starts with Damien O'Donovan,on his way to England to be a doctor,witnessing the abuse of a train driver by British soldiers.This compels him to join his older brother Teddy in the IRA.Cillian Murphy delivers a tremendous,mesmerizing performance as Damien who first fights with his brother then against him as Teddy joins the free state army.Padraic Delaney is very good as Teddy,as are Orla Fitzgerald as Sinead,Damien's girlfriend,who endures some awful abuse at the hands of the Black And Tans,and Liam Cunningham as Dan,the train driver who also joins Damien and Teddy's IRA unit.The depiction of what the men have to endure and what they have to do is to-the-bone harrowing.This film has tremendous personal resonance for me as my own grandfather served in the IRA in Cork at the same time period depicted herein.As an American of proud Irish lineage and a student of Irish history this is one of the finest films I've seen and one of the few to show the Civil War.