During the chaos of a Belfast street riot, a young British soldier is separated from his unit, and hunted by the IRA through the night. If this is how Northern Ireland was in the 70s, then this is truly a shocking film, as the picture illustrated here is no different from an American soldier running for his life on the streets of Fallujah. Deservedly, there are a few breath-taking Bourne-type chase scenes, establishing the uncertainty of the soldier's chances making it alive till the morning. Even though I didn't understand half the Irish accent, this was well worth my time.
PS: Among more than 20 nominations and wins, the film is nominated this year for Best British Film and Outstanding Debut Director BAFTA Awards.
Mo says:
A well deserved Mojo!
ReplyDeleteSadly this is, I understand, exactly what it was like in Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s.
The IRA's political wing Sinn Fein now has elected officials but I very much doubt they will ever see their aim of leaving Britain and winning their independence. The religious divide is as strong as it ever was.
Amazing. Prior to this film, my exposure to Northern Ireland was through the decent "Bloody Sunday", 'The Boxer", "In the Name of the Father" (Daniel Day Lewis is a fan!), and the more superficial Hollywood version, "Patriot Games". But this film gave me a totally different idea of the region.
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