Saturday, January 24, 2015

'71 (2014)

Director: Yann Demange. Cast: Jack O'Connell, Sam Reid, Sean Harris. 99 min. Rated R. UK. Action/Thriller.

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:

2 comments:

  1. A well deserved Mojo!
    Sadly 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.

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    1. 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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