Runtime: 112 minutes
Directed by: Neil Jordan
Starring: Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Miranda Richardson, Forest Whittaker, Adrian Dunbar
From: Several UK and Japanese companies
I'm catching up today. I didn't have the time to post this here last night. What I saw Thursday evening will be posted here in a few hours.
Yes, I knew the big reveal. In fact, I’ve known about it since the movie was release; the nature of it would of course get attention at the time. Yet, it took a request from a Letterboxd mutual for me to finally give this a shot. There was no particular reason why I never pulled the trigger before. Note that I will NOT reveal what the surprise is as I know there will be at least a few who have no idea.
Also, I will NOT make any comment about “The Troubles”… i.e. the conflict over whether Northern Ireland should join the Republic of Ireland or if it should remain a member of the United Kingdom. I am old enough where that conflict was a HUGE deal as a kid. It burned white-hot for about three decades and the movie involves IRA members kidnapping British soldier Forest Whittaker for strategic reasons. Yes, Whittaker sported a British accent; how well he did so is up for you.
His Jody and IRA member Fergus form an unexpected bond of sorts. After some things happened, Fergus meets Jody’s girlfriend Dil, and romance blooms. It is a rather peculiar movie given it blends a political drama w/ romance and such topics as sexuality and nationality are broached. It’s a British drama so of course there’s plenty of foul language and those that do know, certain elements do seem dated by 2024 standards.
I am far from an expert in this field, but the conflict that Fergus experiences & his romance w/ Dil, thankfully it wasn’t as troubling or awkward as it could have been for an early 90’s movie. I managed to become engrossed in this unusual yet fascinating tale. In terms of performances, Stephen Rea’s quiet take as Fergus and Jaye Davidson’s sincere acting were the highlights. The shoestring budget of the film was apparent at times yet I was invested in the plot so that wasn’t too big a hindrance. Mix in some nice songs (including Boy George’s version of the 60’s song The Crying Game) and I was happy to see a movie that was much more than just a big reveal.
One last note: what I surprise I randomly received earlier today as I was reading about this film for the sake of writing this review. It was amazing that Rea played a member of the IRA. From 1983 to 2003 he was married to Dolours Price… a member of the IRA who spent time in prison for their role in car bombings!
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