'71

Plot synopsis:
Gary Hook, a new recruit to the British Army, takes leave of his much younger brother Darren. Hook's platoon is sent to Belfast in 1971 in the early years of the Troubles. Under the leadership of the inexperienced Second Lieutenant Armitage, his platoon is deployed to a volatile area where Catholic Nationalists and Protestant Loyalists live side by side. The unit provides support for the Royal Ulster Constabulary as it inspects homes for firearms, shocking Hook with their rough treatment of women and children. A crowd gathers to protest and provoke the British troops who, though heavily armed, can only respond by trying to hold the crowd back.
One soldier is hit by a rock and drops his rifle to the ground. In the confusion, a young boy seizes it and runs off through the mob. Hook and another soldier pursue him. As the crowd's protest violently escalates, the soldiers and police pull out, leaving the two soldiers behind. Hook and the other soldier are severely beaten by a mob, until a sympathetic woman manages to calm things down. However, the other soldier is suddenly shot dead at point blank range by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) gunman Paul Haggerty. With the crowd physically attacking him, Hook flees through streets and back alleys, eludes his pursuers, and hides in an outhouse until dark.
A Protestant youngster brings Hook to a local pub that serves as a front for Loyalists. There, Hook glimpses a Loyalist group in a back room, constructing a bomb under the guidance of a member of the Military Reaction Force (MRF), the British Army's covert counter-insurgency unit. Hook steps outside the pub just before an enormous explosion destroys the building, killing or injuring many of those inside, including the young boy who brought him there. Hook flees once more into the dark streets. Unaware that the Loyalist bombers have blown themselves up accidentally, the PIRA and Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) factions accuse each other of being responsible for the bombing.
Two Catholics, Eamon and his daughter Brigid, discover Hook as he lies in a street unconscious and injured by shrapnel. They take him to their home in the Divis Flats area before discovering he is a British soldier. Eamon, a former army medic, stitches Hook's wounds.
Despite the PIRA's having recently taken control of the area from the OIRA, Eamon contacts senior OIRA official Boyle for help, expecting a more humane solution than the PIRA faction would allow. Boyle, less radical and violent than the younger PIRA members, has a working relationship with the MRF and tells MRF Captain Browning, leader of the local MRF section, of Hook's whereabouts and asks in return that Browning kill James Quinn, a key leader of the PIRA faction.
Quinn and his PIRA squad have been tailing Boyle since the pub explosion and saw him visit Eamon's flat without knowing why he was there. Sensing danger, Hook flees the flat, taking an assault knife he finds in a bag. He eludes the PIRA men but, unable to evade Haggerty, Hook stabs him. As the wounded man lies dying, Hook reaches down and grasps his shoulder, sharing strength and sympathy as they hold each other's gaze, and the PIRA man dies.
Quinn's group captures Hook and takes him to a hideout. Quinn orders Sean, a young teenager, to murder Hook. When Sean hesitates, Quinn prepares to execute Hook, only to leave when Browning's group arrives. Lewis, to Hook's horror, shoots Sean. He then attempts to strangle Hook to prevent him from informing others of the bomb.
As Lieutenant Armitage and his men enter in support of Browning, Armitage sees Lewis' attempt to kill Hook. Sean raises himself and shoots Lewis dead before being shot again, this time by Armitage. Browning finds Quinn, and rather than arresting him, tells him Boyle wants him dead, then lets him go. As Quinn leaves, Browning tells him he will be in touch soon, and he expects him to be helpful.
Hook is returned to his barracks. Later, despite a formal complaint by Armitage, the commanding officer dismisses the incident involving Hook, Lewis, and Sean as a confused situation that merits no further inquiry. Hook returns to England and reunites with Darren.

Tags: suspenseful, neo noir, murder, violence

Review:
It's about Private Hook, (a superb Jack O'Connell), a young British solider who, on his first day of active service in Belfast, is separated from his platoon and forced to go on the run in a totally alien landscape where he is seen as 'the enemy' to be hunted down and killed.
With an assured performance by rising star Jack O'Connell in the lead, he plays a young soldier Gary Hook recently deployed to Northern Ireland who finds himself out of his dept when going on his first patrol thanks to the incompetence of his CO (Sam Reid) - Separated from his unit and lost in a city he doesn't know he's forced in a fight for survival as its hard to tell who is friend and who is foe in this extremely well written piece of drama.
Two stand outs of the younger cast were Corey McKinley (Listed rather almost like an extra on here as 'Loyalist Child which seems a little unfair) and Barry Keoghan - The former is clearly a star in the making with his ballsy performance while Keoghan with almost no lines makes an amazing impact with simple looks conveying the struggles of emotion he feels inside when it comes to committing to a path of violence.
This film is living proof that we can make thrilling and exciting cinema in the UK but still leave some room for Social Commentary within the context of a great story - an excellent thriller which hints at the dark path that was to follow in Northern Ireland for many years.
So with '71 there is a certain odd feeling that uses the streets of Belfast in the early 1970's as a launching point for a thriller involving British soldiers, terrorists on both sides of the divide, the RUC, and civilians of the time.
The pacing and structure of the film is good, and mostly it does manage to present the city streets of the Belfast roadblocks and no-go areas as oppressive and ensnaring if you are on the wrong side of them.So as a thriller it mostly does work well thanks to the shifting narrative, and pace of delivery, however it is a film that senses the weight of the real story that it is using for the purposes of the thriller, and this knowledge does make a difference across the delivery..
Tracking a young British soldier who fights for his life after being stranded by his unit on the vicious streets of Belfast, this 1971-set thriller is as grubby, tense and frenetic as the Northern Ireland conflict itself.
It is brutal, thrilling and an utterly dramatic directorial debut from Yann Demange.Part of a new regiment, Jack O'Connell's lead character, Gary Hook, is deployed to Belfast, Northern Ireland to help control an emergency situation caused by IRA terrorism.
What a roller coaster of a film from beginning to end - Jack O Connell is brilliant and the supporting cast are thoroughly believable and the acting top class- my favourite star for the future Corey McKinley who plays the loyalist boy; he highlights the difference between Catholic and Loyalist which make the film a history lesson as well as a movie- its an advert for the British Film Industry - when making a film about the troubles to capture the mood of the time and to bring that to the screen depicting the different factions and hatred that came with it is difficult but whoever researched the period, got the costume and feel of the City of Belfast spot on created a Gem. The riot scene felt as if you were there in the thick of it, the building tension between the thin barricade of soldiers and the baying mob.
Set in 1971, a year before the infamous Bloody Sunday tragedy, '71 tells the story of a young British soldier Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) sent to Northern Ireland on active service, who becomes involved in an exercise designed to protect the Royal Ulster Constabulary as they raid a Catholic house, much to the local residents' anger.
The complexity of the 'troubles' leads to confusion over who he can trust as IRA gunmen, protestant paramilitaries, and his own side, hunt him for very different reasons.Unfortunately the film cannot carry the terrific pace and tension of the first 30-45 minutes and after a dramatic scene mid film the story unravels somewhat as it searches for an ending.
This powerful performance is why i liked the first half of this movie more than the second, after the soldier gets lost in Belfast i felt that the film focused a little too much on the secondary characters.
Jack O'Connell plays Gary Hook, a private in the British Army sent to Belfast, who finds himself separated from his men during a raid that turns into a riot.
'71, Starred Up, and the forthcoming Unbroken should cement him as the new British face of brutal cinema.I'm not sure '71 is a film to be taken totally seriously – indeed, it never quite resolves its dual identity as a chase-'em-up and an issue movie – but Yann Demange is a serious new talent to watch..
'71, directed by Yann Demange, which screened at the New York Film Festival, does not concern itself with the impossibility of unraveling the politics behind violence, or implant an over-the- top action sequence, but uses the Northern Ireland conflict of the late 60's and early 70's as context, not base.The Catholic/ Protestant, or even English/ Irish conflict is not covered in great detail which allows the film to construct its own sensibility: a netherworld where an English soldier sent to Belfast, Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell), must find trust and a way back.
Although thrillers tend not to be my cup of tea, I like developed characters and layers of plot—'71 takes place in the span of 24 hours—it is still an exceptional piece mainly due to O'Connell's masterful performance, Demange's restrained direction and Tat Radcliffe's stylized cinematography.'71 is still making the festival rounds and does not yet have a U.S. release date, but will be released in the U.K. on October 10th.@MeMontgom filmnoises.com.
Budget: £8.1million Worldwide Gross: $1.7millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their intense war/drama/thrillers about a soldier who is left behind by his troops whilst fighting an intense battle against a radical and, violent group in Belfast.
Jack O'Connell was brilliant, but not given as interesting role as he was previously in Starred-UP.However 71 was let down by it quickly drifting into a thriller/action film, when Jack's character is left abandoned behind territory lines.
Well how wrong I was, this was a coming of age story set against the backdrop of the troubles with sub plots that examined the brutalisation and radicalisation of young men by the puppet masters on each side of the conflict and exposed the individuals whose only interest is to maintain the conflict because that's what they enjoy.I've read some of the other reviews & I take on board some of the criticisms, particularly those with first hand knowledge of the troubles & their view of the depiction of them in this film, however what this film did was illustrate how conflict impacts on people in many different ways.
Fine supporting work by Killian Scott, Sean Harris, Richard Dormer, Charlie Murphy, and Sam Reid add to the film's impact.￼Demange's images of the war-torn village and its bombed-out ruins show a powerful vision and the director expertly handles the war scenes of escalating violence, with sudden bursts of savagery that left me gasping aloud at times.
I watched this film in London Film Festival 2014 where it had a very good reception.The intense action-packed narrative follows a British soldier's behind-enemy-lines entrapment over a single night during the riots at Belfast in 71.
With breathtaking action sequences and thrilling moments in the deadly streets of Belfast, the film did a very good job in conveying the sense of isolation; being on the run for most of the film time with continuous sheer intensity.
A bit of that and more background information could have turned it into an classic that lingered in the minds long after leaving the theatre, and possibly made some of the audience reconsider their stances on what's happening around them.A compelling performance from the leading actor Jack O'Connell deserves praise, as well as the editing of the action sequences.
Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) is a Private, a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a terrifying riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971.
Good and bad on both sides of the encounter – the usual situation for war.Jack O'Connell is developing into a fine actor – his most recent film was the superb film Money Monster.
Everything flows in a rather flat without much emotion, if not, a couple crude scenes.It is not a bad movie, it is enough gripping for the most of the time, the plot is interesting and it definitely can worth a watch but it was not as good as I expected and as it could have been by paying more attention to some of the above parameters.6+/10.
In this story audiences follow Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell), a soldier in training who is relocated to Belfast in order to help keep order among the civil unrest.
A British soldier sent in to retain order gets detached from his troop and finds himself lost and wounded in Belfast's back alleys, at the mercy of people who have every reason to turn him over to his enemies.It's admittedly a difficult film to follow, or at least it was for me, someone with not a whole lot of understanding about the IRA conflict.
All but Gary Hook, who, disorientated and lost, is left in the streets of Belfast to fend for himself.With Jack O'connell at the helm, you are sure to witness a performance full of nuance, intensity, and incredible impulse, which he delivers in every scene.
Directed by Yann Demange, have a big cast led by English actor Jack O'Connell.A British soldier, Gary Hook, left in the streets of Belfast after separated from his unit during a riot struggle to find his way back to safety.It is a decent movie, where we can clearly see the three acts structure, simple and straight to the point and the best word I can find to describe it is "Solid".
After a fellow-soldier he tries to assist is ruthlessly shot in the face and killed by a young Nationalist, he runs for his life ending up he knows not where, only that he's lost, in great danger at every turn and must get back safely to his company or risk the same fate as his mate.The sense of realism is palpable and you almost feel like you're watching an old TV newsreel of old, so true to life do the events seem.
Demange thrusts the audience straight into his picture with a quick fire training montage of British soldiers and before long things have gone to hell for O'Connell's Gary Hook when his regiment gets attacked in the violent streets of the warring city of Belfast and his left wondering the streets trying to survive.It's a simple almost 80's like plot (calling to mind films like Rambo and Escape from New York) but while it all seems set to be a pulse pounding thriller that wizzes by time wise, '71 quickly stumbles in its middle act and with too many side characters and not enough focus on who or what drives Gary, the film eventually becomes an uninteresting one that culminates in some over the top dramatics that undo much of the films more no fuss wins.'71 has some great singular moments (an explosive bar scene in particular), it's another feather in the cap of Jack O'Connell and shows promise from young director Demange, but as a critically loved film watched now a few months after the dust has settled, one can't help but feel '71 wasn't all it was cracked up to be and upon reflection, could've been something a whole lot more memorable had its story taken the right paths.2 ½ eventful trips to the local watering hole out of 5.
The film follows a soldier named Gary Hook(Jack O'Connel) who is sent to deal with "The Troubles" in Belfast.
"'71" contains, at least, two masterful moments under the direction of new filmmaker Yann Demange: the mise-en-scène and hand-held camera of a sequence of an extremely violent riot on a Belfast street, between British soldiers and Irish civilians, followed by the evasion of the protagonist (Jack O'Connell), a soldier who is abandoned by his platoon in the middle of the riot, while members of the young faction of the Irish Catholics chase the soldier to kill him.
Expecting an uncomplicated mission, after getting caught up in a fiery riot on the streets of Belfast, he becomes separated from his platoon, and then finds himself in a desperate battle for survival as he runs through the violence ravaged streets, unsure who to trust, and unable to tell friend from foe.The intervention of the British army during 'the troubles', as the chaos in Northern Ireland was known in the early '70s, can no doubt serve as the backdrop for many filmic tales, whether fact or fiction.
Debut director Yann Demange has here dramatized a hypothetical, average young British soldier of the time, and crafted an impressive, visceral experience of a film that captures the moment of the madness, and traps the viewer, headfirst and unflinchingly, into the ensuing chase as it progresses.
This British indie thriller set in 1971 Northern Ireland during the Troubles period follows Gary Hook (played by Jack O'Connell), a young British soldier who is separated from this squad during a violent riot that breaks out in a seemingly peaceful village in Belfast.
Throughout the time, the main character struggles trying to tell who is good and who is bad which made the plot more interesting, but at the same time, made a little hard to comprehend.'71 is a good movie and definitely Jack O'Connell best role.
With this whole combination of excitement I had to check it out (at redbox currently) and give it a look.Director Yann Demange, follows the ultra intense story of Gary Hook (O'Connell), a young British soldier who during a routine house check gets separated and left by his unit.
Yet while Greengrass opted to let the true- life story tell itself and avoided making any overt political statements (though it's understandably clear where his sympathy lies), '71 makes a point of showing the many factions fighting and politicking with each other - often scheming within their own parties.New army recruit Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) says goodbye to his younger brother, who resides in care, before his battalion is shipped off to a particularly volatile area of Belfast in 1971.
In '71 he plays Gary Hook, a young British soldier who is sent to Belfast along with his unit during the war in which Irish factions were divided between the Catholics who wanted to be liberated from British rule and the Protestants who supported British involvement.
The action takes place during the course of one day and there are several thrills and twists along the way.Jack O'Connell delivers another solid performance playing a soldier who is struggling to survive.
Sean Harris, Paul Anderson, Sam Reid, David Wilmot, Corey McKinley, and Barry Keoghan are among the supporting actors who deliver compelling performances, but it's O'Connell who stands out once again.The action sequences in '71 are the highlight of the movie thanks to the sense of immediacy captured through the lens of the hand-held camera as Hook runs through the narrow streets of Belfast.
I watched this because I was a fan of Jack's previous work (Eden Lake, Skins, Starred Up) and I wasn't disappointed.I recommend this to anybody who likes gritty action movies, and enjoys a good, shocking scene.The Belfast riots made me feel sorry for the soldiers, and in some scenes, I was scared for some of the characters.I will definitely watch this again with my father, who is a huge fan of war/army movies, and hopefully he won't be disappointed..
This movie stars the powerful but man of few words actor Jack o Connor (starred Up ) its backdrop is Northern Ireland 1971 in the dawn of the troubles , it tells the story of a naive young soldier threw in the midst of warfare and how he fights to survive through the bloody unforgiving streets of Belfast.
Just ask Private Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell, Starred Up), a raw recruit in the British Army who, contrary to his expectations of being sent to Germany, winds up on the streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland in the time of "The Troubles." Written by Gary Burke and nominated for nine British Independent Film Awards, first-time feature director Yann Demange's gritty anti-war thriller, '71 is a graphic depiction of the early days of the bitter struggle in Northern Ireland between the Protestant Loyalists who want to remain in the U.K., and the Catholic Republicans whose desire is to build a united Ireland, free of British rule.The film opens with Hook playing football with his younger brother Darren (Harry Verity) outside of a children's home where apparently he also grew up.
This film tells the story of a British soldier who gets left behind on the dangerous streets of Belfast, where the enemy separatists rule.To watch "'71" and understand its plot, I guess I have to be clear about the historical and political background of Northern Ireland.
Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) is a young British Army soldier.
Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1971, the film portrays the brutality of guerrilla warfare through the eyes of a single soldier; Gary Cook (played by Jack O'Connell).
Much to his surprise, a young, inexperienced British soldier, Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell), is posted to Northern Ireland (he is expecting to be sent to Germany).