In 1971 I was living on the fringes of Derry's Bogside. On several
occasions my home was 'collateral damage' in a number of bombings and I
remember lying on the floor of my bedroom in case I might fall victim to
a stray bullet from one of the gun-battles raging outside. I drank in
pubs that would be bombed in time and I was on the march on Bloody
Sunday. Things were bad in Derry in 1971 but they were a lot worse in
Belfast which is where and when Yann Demange's terrific movie "'71" is
set.
Maybe it's because I had first-hand experience but I've never
really taken to films about 'the Troubles'. Irish film-makers have
usually shied away from the subject, (a rare good exception being Jim
Sheridan's "In the Name of the Father" and that was set mostly in
England), leaving it up to the English and the Americans to tackle them,
mostly ineptly, (exceptions again being Alan Clarke's
made-for-television film "Elephant" and Steve McQueen's "Hunger"), so my
expectations of "'71" were far from high, yet I believe this will be
the film about the Northern Ireland 'Troubles' by which all others will
be judged.
Firstly nothing happens on screen that seems far-fetched
or exaggerated, (and here is a film that doesn't pull its punches in
showing the collusion between the British Government and paramilitaries
on both sides). It's a film that could never have been made in the
seventies and even 20 years ago it would have been banned here in
Northern Ireland. Politically, it's dynamite but it's as a nail-biting,
nerve-shredding thriller that it really makes its mark.
In may
respects it's a very minimalist work, taking place almost entirely over
the course of one night and is really made up of two lengthy set-pieces.
It's about Private Hook, (a superb Jack O'Connell), a young British
solider who, on his first day of active service in Belfast, is separated
from his platoon and forced to go on the run in a totally alien
landscape where he is seen as 'the enemy' to be hunted down and killed.
We've seen this story before. In "Odd Man Out" James Mason was the IRA
man on the run in an equally treacherous Belfast but as they say, it's a
tale as old as time. Outstanding American examples have included
"Deliverance" and "Southern Comfort", albeit in very different settings,
but few have packed the punch of "'71"; this is a terrifyingly tense
thriller.
It's also the feature debut of Yann Demange who handles
the material with all the assurance of a Paul Greengrass. He shoots it
as if it were a newsreel, using mostly a hand-held camera, (the DoP is
Tat Radcliffe), putting the audience in the centre of things. For once,
all the performances are superb. In the past actors playing either
Ulstermen or the occupying forces have often been reduced to nothing
more than mouth-pieces; not here. Everyone on screen is utterly
believable. This is one of the finest films you will see all year.
The films reviewed here represent those I have liked or loved over the years. It is not a list of my favourite films but all the films reviewed here are worth seeing and worth seeking out. I know many of you won't agree with me on a lot of these but hopefully you will grant me, and the films that appear here, our place in the sun. Thanks for reading.
Thursday, 1 November 2018
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