A strong film but probably tempered by political considerations.

Rating: 8/10 (28 February 2007)

Spent a fair bit of my childhood in the part of Ireland this film was set - so I remember the rugged countryside very well. I nearly broke my leg once when I got my foot stuck in a rabbit burrow, so I can understand why there was a three legged dog wandering about! As for the Black and Tans, they had been and gone long before I was born, but going by the memories of various aged relatives, I would say that the Wind That Shakes The Barley is a fairly gentle depiction of the violence that the mercenary soldiers inflicted on vulnerable Irish people. Although Sinead probably lost chunks of her scalp when her hair was hacked off and Teddy was tortured, I didn't notice people being nailed to trees which was one of the many heinous pastimes that the Black and Tans indulged in. All the same it was a strong and impressive film - far better than Michael Collins and probably closer to the truth.