A film that sadly won't be judged on its own lack of merit

Rating: 4/10 (3 June 2006)

Whether you like this film depends purely on what side of its political argument you stand. It's a film that takes a position and brooks no argument, tolerates no discussion or different opinion. If you don't agree with Loach, well, I'm afraid you're going to Hell forever. Of you do agree, then you're one of the immortal heroes of the revolution. Simple as that. So, if you agree with him, you'll click on 'no' as to whether you found the review useful. If you don't, you'll click 'yes.' Neither will have anything to do with the film. Which is the trouble. Look at it dispassionately and it's not much good.
The story is sub-D.W. Griffith stuff, so much so you expect a mustache twirling villain and Cillian Murphy to hope across the iceflow with a baby in his arms. The acting is stilted, with some clumsy attempts at improvisation. The direction is all over the shop and unconvincing. The characters may talk in a supposedly naturalistic style but nothing they say sounds even remotely like anything a real person would ever say because you get the impression the writer or director don't know that many real people but do read a lot of Socialist manifestos.
There is one good scene in a cell in an interrogation when the film threatens to become good, but it's a false light. The film quickly crashes against the rocks again. The 'good' Irish clichés are so twee that I kept on half-thinking Leprachauns would turn up to hand out ammo from their pot of gold.
There is a great film to be made about the Irish Civil war and the tragedy of British rule leading to an endless bloodbath of Irish Catholics killing other Irish Catholics over the colour of a flag. This is not it, it's just a bad, Hollywood dumbed down mellerdrammer made by a trendy liberal who sees only what he wants to. See MICHAEL COLLINS instead. That has just as many historical mistakes as this one, but it cares about ALL of the people of Ireland.