'71

ancapailldorcha · 24-08-2014 9:29am #1

Starring Jack O'Connell from Starred Up this looks like it could be quite decent. I'm a big fan of films based on the troubles so I'm really looking forward to this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIYDNyEkJP4

Looper007 · 25-08-2014 1:20am

Well it got Rave reviews at Berlin Film Festival, and the word going around in a few film magazines that it's a pretty gripping piece of cinema. Jack O'Connell has a bit of the Tom Hardy about him, he's already giving a awesome performance in the brilliant Starred up. Really Looking forward to this film.

gazzer · 25-08-2014 5:18pm

Looper007 wrote: »

Well it got Rave reviews at Berlin Film Festival, and the word going around in a few film magazines that it's a pretty gripping piece of cinema. Jack O'Connell has a bit of the Tom Hardy about him, he's already giving a awesome performance in the brilliant Starred up. Really Looking forward to this film.

Watched Starred Up at the weekend. Brilliant movie. Jack O'Connell is such a good actor.

Looper007 · 25-08-2014 8:00pm

gazzer wrote: »

Watched Starred Up at the weekend. Brilliant movie. Jack O'Connell is such a good actor.

He was something special in Skins Generation 2 and was the real stand out from that cast, a bit like Nicholas Hoult was in Generation 1.

cloud493 · 09-10-2014 5:21pm

This is out tomorrow, pretty excited to see it.

DrFloppy · 10-10-2014 1:41pm

Film of the year for me so far. Reviews are 4 stars almost across the board for some reason. This is a 5 star masterpiece. Fairly traumatic mind.

cloud493 · 10-10-2014 5:29pm

Well goddamn, that was brilliant. I agree, one of the best films of the year. Who'd have thought Jack O'Conell would be such a good actor.

biko · 10-10-2014 6:57pm

Came across the trailer today, looks good indeed.

wp_rathead · 11-10-2014 1:28pm

Doesn't seem to be in any cinema in Galway which is a pain- the reviews and the trailer make me really wanna see it.
Someone described it as "Die Hard-esque" which sounds fun

EDIT: Dublin only this week so in Eye Cinema from 17th Oct

Looper007 · 13-10-2014 4:37am

cloud493 wrote: »

Well goddamn, that was brilliant. I agree, one of the best films of the year. Who'd have thought Jack O'Conell would be such a good actor.

It was a excellent film and one of this years best. I loved the fact that you could have set this anywhere at anytime as it wasn't another "troubles" film rather a top notch thriller that had me and anyone around me (the screening was full for this when I went to see it) gripping our seats. They don't make cat and mouse chase films like this anymore.

O'Connell has two of the best films of this year under his belt and two top notch performances (check out the brilliant Starred Up) and it doesn't surprise me he's a top actor, he proved it at any early age with This Is England and he was by far the best thing in Skins generation 2. He's got the Tom Hardy vibe about him. What I loved about his character in this they didn't make him into Liam Neeson type armed solider with all sorts of different skills rather a frightened man who's living on his wits and will alone just wanting to get back to safe ground. Nearly all the film he doesn't say a word its all played on his face and one scene stands out to me

when he is screaming in pain as a man tries to heal his wounds is actually really frightening

. Top notch acting.

No one side comes out of this looking good at all so you can't accuse the film of taking sides

The British are seen as killers of their own men and stupid, helping supply UVF with bombs and willing to cover anything up to save their bacon and members of the IRA are seen as rats

. Sean Harris with dodgy sideburns and hair is brilliant as the dodgy police man (does he play anything else). You will spot great Irish talent in David Wilmot and some of the cast from Love/Hate in it (Killian Scott and Charlie Murphy). The Ending

Where everything is covered up is a little downbeat and Harris character gets away with it

but the film belongs to O'Connell who really is turning into one of the best young actors around.

cloud493 · 13-10-2014 8:08am

One of the little bits I liked best was

when he's the bedroom with the girl, and he says he's from Darbyshire, and she says her family have relatives in Nottingham. He then says people from Darbyshire and Nottingham don't like each other very much, but when she asks why, he just says he doesn't know.

fryup · 13-10-2014 9:16am

Looper007 wrote: »

No one side comes out of this looking good at all so you can't accuse the film of taking sides .

which makes a refreshing change, as most movies about the troubles have a pro republican/nationalist slant

Ciaran_B · 13-10-2014 11:48am

There were a couple of silly plot contrivances but they didn’t take away from an otherwise excellent film.

ancapailldorcha · 13-10-2014 11:57am

I was expecting this to focus a bit more on the Troubles. Otherwise, it's a superb thriller/chiller. Making O'Connell's character a rookie as opposed to a Bryan Mills type character is a fantastic idea and a great way of conveying tension.

yermandan · 13-10-2014 11:58am

Yer man is a fantastic actor

scouttio · 13-10-2014 12:09pm

yermandan wrote: »

Yer man is a fantastic actor

You talking about yoursef in the 3rd person again?

I agree though, oscar buzz surrounding his role in Unbroken already, Angelina Jolies latest

charlie_says · 19-10-2014 9:53pm

Probably go to this tomorrow night. Looks decent, heard good things.

marco_polo · 19-10-2014 10:54pm

Saw this the other day, definitely one of the better films I have seen this year, I enjoyed it more than Gone Girl a few days previously. Like ancapailldorcha said its surpisingly apolitical despite the setup/location, just a straight up suspense/action movie with some excellent performances, also one of those increasingly rare films that is exactly as long as it needs to be.

charlie_says · 21-10-2014 12:49am

Just back from this.

Quite a good tense thriller. Strong directorial debut. The cast was very good overall, I really like Sean Harris since Southcliffe and The Borgias (ignore him in Promethus though). Dark 70's Belfast estates at night are a perfect backdrop for some urban hunting. The little wee lad got some needed laughs and gasps out of the crowd.

Short but sweet.

e_e · 21-10-2014 12:51am

I thought the film really petered out and became gradually less interesting after the incredible opening act. An admirable stab but it just didn't hook me in the way I was hoping.

charlie_says · 21-10-2014 1:07am

e_e wrote: »

I thought the film really petered out and became gradually less interesting after the incredible opening act. An admirable stab but it just didn't hook me in the way I was hoping.

Although the

shoot out towards the end and the young private not standing up for himself was a little bit weak,

I thought it was tightly put together and the suspense and tenseness brought out a watchable thriller.

Given that, the riot scene was probably the best in the film.

Looper007 · 21-10-2014 1:12am

e_e wrote: »

I thought the film really petered out and became gradually less interesting after the incredible opening act. An admirable stab but it just didn't hook me in the way I was hoping.

Jesus e_e :pac: "admirable stab" it was a great suspenseful movie.

e_e · 21-10-2014 1:42am

Looper007 wrote: »

Jesus e_e :pac: "admirable stab" it was a great suspenseful movie.

In your opinion. I wouldn't dismiss yours so hastily just because I had a different response.

johnny_ultimate · 21-10-2014 7:49am

Enjoyable and atmospheric thriller. The moody cinematography and soundtrack particularly maintain the momentum for the most part. Reminded me of a Belfast take on The Raid quite a bit :pac:

I did feel the film was a bit top-heavy in terms of characters, which dulled the impact of the finale quite a bit when there were too many subplots to wrap up. And would have loved the film to end

on the shot of O'Connell walking down the corridor after the meeting with his superiors - given how long the shot lasted, it genuinely seemed like there was a about to be a cut to black. The proceeding epilogue scenes IMO felt redundant - over-emphasising the character's destination and failing to find a final shot as visually potent and efficient as the corridor one.

charlie_says · 21-10-2014 10:00am

Oh yeah, anyone who hasn't seen Southcliffe (TV series) with Sean Harris, the undercover captain in '71, check it out. Really dark and broody stuff. One of the best British mini series in years.

Radiosonde · 22-10-2014 9:27pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Enjoyable and atmospheric thriller. The moody cinematography and soundtrack particularly maintain the momentum for the most part. Reminded me of a Belfast take on The Raid quite a bit :pac:

I did feel the film was a bit top-heavy in terms of characters, which dulled the impact of the finale quite a bit when there were too many subplots to wrap up. And would have loved the film to end
on the shot of O'Connell walking down the corridor after the meeting with his superiors - given how long the shot lasted, it genuinely seemed like there was a about to be a cut to black. The proceeding epilogue scenes IMO felt redundant - over-emphasising the character's destination and failing to find a final shot as visually potent and efficient as the corridor one.

Agree about the ending, and not just for artistic reasons:

a minor complaint was its implausibitiy, as walking away from the Army would probably not be so straightforward; more troubling, it contrasted withdrawal from bleak, morally-decayed Belfast with a retreat into idyllic British countryside. Telling that we never saw any pretty landscapes in Northern Ireland.

For all the film's posturing about collusion and corruption in the British forces, I felt it overly sympathetic to the powers-that-be, as if the shenanigans in the North were an example of circumstance bringing out the worst in a otherwise upright, tally-ho lads British Army.

Greenmachine · 22-10-2014 9:39pm

"Starred up" didn't appeal to me, but this one looks interesting.
Herself enquired if that the ' symbol indicated inches, but I let go, because misses GM only knows metric

vidor · 23-10-2014 1:55pm

e_e wrote: »

I thought the film really petered out and became gradually less interesting after the incredible opening act. An admirable stab but it just didn't hook me in the way I was hoping.

Same. Wish it had just stuck with the group of newbies trying to make sense of it all when they arrive there instead of going where it went. Didn't buy in to some of the performances (Killian Scott, for example), cinematography irked me a little at times, too contrived in parts (

conveniently gets picked up by some ex-medic

) and the last ten minutes was littered with cliches.

Neeson · 23-10-2014 2:06pm

Why didn't the undercover

English fella shoot

Killian Scott? What was the

point in letting him

go sure

he may as well have shot him

?

ancapailldorcha · 23-10-2014 2:17pm

Neeson wrote: »

Why didn't the undercover
English fella shoot
Killian Scott? What was the
point in letting him
go sure
he may as well have shot him
?

He was probably offering an arrangement whereby he keeps the police and the army off Scott's character's back in exchange for a share of any profits he might make selling guns, drugs or whatever.

Neeson · 24-10-2014 1:29am

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

He was probably offering an arrangement whereby he keeps the police and the army off Scott's character's back in exchange for a share of any profits he might make selling guns, drugs or whatever.

That wouldn't seem realistic though. I'm sure

Scott

would have him shat if he saw him again and

wouldn't like a British

mawn coming over there telling him what to do so he may as well have shat

him when he had the chance

.

'71

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