A Belfast Story

Warper

Just saw this. One word - Avoid. One of the worst films i have seen in ages. It really is shocking stuff, trying to forget it so not gonna write a big review.

fryup

was thinking that,

colm meaney was on the late late show last friday night and he never mentioned it...and as we all know they'll "plug" anything on that show

Crooked Jack

Just saw it. cant agree more. utterly horrendous. like you say, it doesnt even warrant a big review tearing it to pieces. just imagine all the components that make up a film. all of them are truly, irredeemably awful

A Belfast Story hit the headlines a matter of weeks before it hit our screens thanks to a rather poorly thought out marketing campaign conceived by the filmmakers. In order to promote their film, the producers and director sent out press kits containing nails, balaclavas and Duct tape. A move which managed to spark some mild controversy and a few tabloid inches about the film. Sadly, this is about the only interesting thing about the film, a film so dull and plodding that you may well be asleep before the 10 minute mark.

Colm Meaney plays a Belfast copper whose tasked with investigating the murder of an ex-IRA member who has been killed in a nail bomb attack. Like most of cinemas least interesting cops, Meaney's detective is working his "One Last Job" and as such, every cliche possible is in play. It's not long before a series of murders occur and Meaney finds himself at the center of a spate of comical murders and killers with a motivation that will have you falling on the floor with laughter.

Meaney is joined in his investigation by an intrepid rookie cop who is really there to report back to the higher ups who are trying to sabotage the investigation even thought hey repeatedly state we're not going back there". As the bodies pile high, Meaney scowls a lot and everyone else looks lost.

A Belfast Story is one of those sad attempts at a narrative where absolutely nothing works. The death scenes, which should be central to the films themes come across more comical than terrifying. The death by chips moment has to be seen to be believed and is up there with cinemas most poorly conceived set pieces. There's not a single moment in the film that words and the few interesting ideas in play are so poorly implemented that one assumes they were hit on accidentally.

The acting ranges from abysmal to comical with not a single member of the cast escaping with their dignity. Even Meaney looks embarrassed to be here and one would assume that he did this for the pay check though considering that the whole thing looks like it was shot over a weekend with change found in various phone boxes around the city.

A Belfast Story is a truly terrible film. One that strives desperately to be adult and important but comes across as amateurish and insulting. Scenes exist without context or meaning and as the film stumbles from one poorly conceived moment to the next you can't help but hope that the whole thing was conceived as some sort of insomnia cure.

What's most disgusting and insulting about the whole affair is the sentiment that creeps in during the final minutes where the film presents the message that it's better to live in a world without peace so that a child can easily tell good from evil. A Belfast Story is not only a terrible piece of crap but it's an insensitive and dangerous piece of propaganda that doesn't deserve to exist.