This film isn't the first to examine the effects of the civil war in Ireland in the seventies and it probably won't be the last but it's still a superb human drama about two emotionally crippled men who suffer in different ways.
Tommy watches as his brother is shot to death by a young man, it's bad enough he saw his brother get violently killed but to compound matters, his mother blames him for not doing anything and spends the rest of her life hating him, it's a tragedy in a very real sense.
The two men are brought together years later as part of a reconciliation effort, they're both to be interviewed, explain their feelings and then meet. It seems like the height of arrogance to me to attempt something like this, the intent behind it is admirable but to have these two men sit in the same room and act like gentleman seems incredibly shortsighted. Neeson is smart enough to realize that the idea is fatally flawed but he wants to do it anyway.
Neeson gives a measured performance, it's not flashy but it's good, Nesbitt is the firecracker, he fills the screen with nervous energy and restrained fury just waiting to be unleashed. His confrontation with Neeson is an animalistic fight to the death, they even go out the window to the pavement below. Tommy has so much pain and anger he doesn't know what to do with it, his last scene is just heartbreaking.
Oliver Hirschbiegel allows just enough style in this film but doesn't let it overwhelm it. He allows the story to unfold at it's own pace but it never becomes boring.
At the end, when Neeson answers his phone does someone say 'you're finished', I didn't quite catch it.
Tommy watches as his brother is shot to death by a young man, it's bad enough he saw his brother get violently killed but to compound matters, his mother blames him for not doing anything and spends the rest of her life hating him, it's a tragedy in a very real sense.
The two men are brought together years later as part of a reconciliation effort, they're both to be interviewed, explain their feelings and then meet. It seems like the height of arrogance to me to attempt something like this, the intent behind it is admirable but to have these two men sit in the same room and act like gentleman seems incredibly shortsighted. Neeson is smart enough to realize that the idea is fatally flawed but he wants to do it anyway.
Neeson gives a measured performance, it's not flashy but it's good, Nesbitt is the firecracker, he fills the screen with nervous energy and restrained fury just waiting to be unleashed. His confrontation with Neeson is an animalistic fight to the death, they even go out the window to the pavement below. Tommy has so much pain and anger he doesn't know what to do with it, his last scene is just heartbreaking.
Oliver Hirschbiegel allows just enough style in this film but doesn't let it overwhelm it. He allows the story to unfold at it's own pace but it never becomes boring.
At the end, when Neeson answers his phone does someone say 'you're finished', I didn't quite catch it.
