IrishManDC

This movie is interesting for what it doesn't have. A soundtrack. Ben Affleck having to do his wading with a mule in tow. An explanation for a $300 million operation having a $3.75 security expenditure. Line delivery from Charlie Hunnam in a vocal range beyond sedation. Food.

This movie is what you get when you throw Netflix money at Katherine Bigelow - a bit like having The Rolling Stones play your kid's Sweet Sixteen party. It costs a fortune; nobody can deny the big name act was there. But their heart isn't in it, and everything just feels tawdry. Yuck.

Other reviewers have covered it well, just letting those who were trying to hunt it down on DVD know that it's available now on Netflix Instant. Well worth the time to watch. It portrays both sides in an equally dismal light. As such, one of the more compelling stories with the troubles as its backdrop. Some of the great Irish actors appear in it, such as Niall Tobín, Ray McAnally and Joe Lynch. The Richard Gere-type American lead is all rage and not a lot of nuance, but can be forgiven. The cynical and dehumanizing way the Anerican pawn is manipulated makes for compelling viewing. It also contains some very daring lines about the role of the church, and accurately foretells its fate in the absence of a common enemy. Some earlier reviewers worried about the level of violence. It would be impossible to set a movie in Belfast in 1973 without losing all credibility, a mistake this movie avoids. I didn't find any scene gratuitous, and the integrity of the movie is the better for it. I would agree with others who have described this as a lost gem.