Kari Skogland directed Micheal Davies screenplay based on Martin McGortland's book,on the authors 'adventures'first as a Belfast punk then a police informer who infiltrates the IRA & informs on them.
Now I do not care how noble or righteous a cause may be, BUT an informer is at the bottom of the totem pole.
Jim Sturgiss is effective as the troubled lad.
Ben Kingsley is good as usual as the English cop who is his controller.
Natalie Press is quite good as his young girl friend.
There are many violent scenes including some good torture ones.
Now here we come one of the points where I was turned off. All these action scenes are done using hand-held cameras. It reached a point where I could not tell what was being done to who & I really did not care.
A few comments have been made on the thick accents. The DVD is closed captioned so I had no trouble this way.
I normally like films about the IRA & the troubles with the English. There have been many movies on this subject over the years.
This should have been a better film, I wish it were.
Ratings: **1/2 (out of 4) 71 points (out of 100) IMDb 7 (out of 10)
Now I do not care how noble or righteous a cause may be, BUT an informer is at the bottom of the totem pole.
Jim Sturgiss is effective as the troubled lad.
Ben Kingsley is good as usual as the English cop who is his controller.
Natalie Press is quite good as his young girl friend.
There are many violent scenes including some good torture ones.
Now here we come one of the points where I was turned off. All these action scenes are done using hand-held cameras. It reached a point where I could not tell what was being done to who & I really did not care.
A few comments have been made on the thick accents. The DVD is closed captioned so I had no trouble this way.
I normally like films about the IRA & the troubles with the English. There have been many movies on this subject over the years.
This should have been a better film, I wish it were.
Ratings: **1/2 (out of 4) 71 points (out of 100) IMDb 7 (out of 10)