Ooh Cute Men With Big Guns

Rating: 1/10 (29 April 2007)

Oh dear, oh dear.
Pretty boy Cillian Murphy is forced down the road of violence by the grunting, swearing , murdering sub human caricatures (sorry they're the English by the way). He is a noble fellow (doctor don't you know). And he dies for a cause , he sticks by his principles, he doesn't sell out. He doesn't listen to the voice of the Irish people who wanted peace, who voted for peace, the weaklings. He longs for equality, democracy and a better world (and he's willing to kill you to get it). He is fighting the establishment, fighting for socialism...screeeech, apply the brakes ,reality check: since when was the civil war about socialism?
It was about oaths and symbolism, about the mystical blood drenched concept of a republic. For many republicans the Republic had a life of its own, it offered justification for non-democratic and anti-democratic ideas and actions. You're on dangerous ground here Ken. Why so little mention of elections and Dail votes. Is democracy not as sexy as men in trenchcoats with guns? Or is it that the elections went "the wrong way"? Why is it that the case for democracy is made by a pompous priest? Why are the English such Orcs? The Republicans just happened to be hanging around The Four Courts when they were attacked by the Free Staters? Your film encourages the Right and not the Left. It is about National Struggle, about The Blood Sacrifice about the supremacy of a mystical notion of the republic over the democratic wishes of the people. You tag on some ridiculous ahistorical socialism to sugar coat your nationalistic rant.
By the way for those of you that don't know what happened next? The civil war ended and after a few years the vast majority of Republicans entered the Free State parliament, swore an oath of allegiance to the king and accepted the political solution. They accepted the treaty. They dumped their guns and accepted boring old parliamentary democracy.