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Reviews
Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)
Nearly a modern Harry's Game - but not quite.
For those with a long memory or an interest in this area of history, there was a brilliant TV drama in the 80's in the UK called Harry's Game about an British soldier working undercover agent in the IRA. What that captured was the terror and constant threat of working day in day out with people who would kill you - slowly - if they ever found out. And whilst this film is a solid effort to portray a true story of a young catholic recruited by the Brits to inform on his friends and neighbours, you never really felt as if he was scared, ever. And he most definitely would have been. However, the film moves along well and keeps you entertained. It is just a shame that the characters feel a little 2 dimensional and stereotypical. I think that the film tried too hard to be impartial. There was no sides taken here, no rights or wrongs on the political front and that meant that it felt like no-one really cared and that everyone was equally good/bad. That may be the reality of a conflict like Northern Ireland, but as a dramatic event it made the film falter. However, for audiences not aware of the history of NI and with no axe to grind, then this is a nice thriller with enough to keep you awake