The Devil's Own
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Movie Reviews of The Devil's Own
Movie Review: If you're THAT bored...
Summary: 2 Stars
Alright if you are supremely bored, but Brad Pitt with a fake Irish accent..he he ,um, okay whatever.Movie Review: The Title Says it All
Summary: 1 Stars
Having just watched the opening 65 minutes or so of this on British TV, I am more shocked and offended than I would have thought possible by a movie. The IRA man played by Brad Pitt, is not wanted because he was part of a conspiracy to bomb civilians. That aspect of the 'war' is never mentioned. No, this hero has killed soldiers, policemen and 'loyalist paramilitaries', a politically correct IRA man, a 'soldier'. That some of his victims would have no doubt, met their fate in a hail of bullets in front of their children whilst unarmed on their own doorsteps is kind of glossed over too. The opening scene of brave defiant IRA men fighting the bungled British Army arrest attempt, could have come straight from a wartime propaganda film of brave, defiant Maquis fighting SS troops. Even up to the moment when a cold, well dressed, plain clothes intelligence officer shoots a brave defiant unarmed IRA prisoner in cold blood. The attitudes that this this film betrays are truly frightening. The romanticisation, not only of the violence of the IRA, but of Irish culture generally seems to be an attempt to make the two indistinguishable. A network of noble colleens across the US help the hero from the homeland.. 'My ma's not been so good since 'they' killed Martin' says one suffering soul in reference to her IRA man brother. 'They' of course being the evil Brits. The Brits whose anti terrorist forces are portrayed as either coldly evil or laughably incompetent.
Either those behind this think that there is a parallel between the Northern Ireland situation and that of Nazi occupied France in WW2 or they are so callous that they are prepared to dig into an open wound that they do not understand to produce an 'entertainment'. I appreciate that there are those in the US who applaud the provisional IRA, but it is astonishing that a mainstream film of this nature could be made and attract major actors like Pitt and Ford. But of course this is all pre-09/11/2001. Maybe those responsible for this have had some sense knocked into them. Maybe now they understand what terrorists do. But then maybe they are working on a glamorous all star bio-Drama of Bin Ladens life. Who knows ? Give Brad Pitts agent a call, he likes risky parts.
Movie Review: Shocking, dangerous rubbish
Summary: 1 Stars
It's a shame that two otherwise respected actors could feature in such a moronic simplification of the issues behind Northern Ireland.If studios cannot interpret a deeply complex situation without resorting to goodies and baddies then they shouldn't bother. Both sides have committed atrocities and everybody in Ireland and Britain is fed up with it.
My advice is do not watch it, it will do more to reinforce stereotypes rather than attempt to explain the circumstances. This is even more of a shame considering all the good things that President Clinton has attempted to do for the Northern Ireland peace process.
I can almost understand this kind of interpretation being applied to more distant wars and troubles (e.g The Patriot - with Mel Gibson), but the wounds are far too fresh. Over here we can only assume that Hollywood has no respect for any of the people affected by the troubles, when it makes such a mindless piece of work.
Incidently, Northern Ireland is a beautiful part of the world, and 99.9% of the people you will meet there are wonderful regardless of their religion or nationality.
Movie Review: It's an Ammurkan film not an Oirish one.
Summary: 1 Stars
In this, perhaps the worst film ever about Northern Ireland, we see the true arrogance of the Hollywood film machine. They take one of the world's political hotspots as background, twist the situation in a ridiculous and inflammatory way, and then market this bilge in the sure knowledge that the American public is too stupid to know better and that foreigners are either star-struck morons or will just have to lump it. The preposterous action sequences alone should have been enough reason for the execs to get out of their hot tubs long enough to cancel this project but perhaps that would have messed up their hair. This is a film that leaves no cliche unturned in its fevered depiction of Oirland including the reluctant but noble urban terrorists, the lovely redheaded Colleens that love them, and the annoying pipe music that follows them everywhere: it's a sap's paradise.Movie Review: Minus five stars
Summary: 1 Stars
This movie is a genuine setback for the intellectual future of mankind. Somebody in the production team should be slapped, I'm not kidding. I read somewhere that Ford and Pitt tried to distance themselves from this stinker, and I'm not surprised. Shame on them for taking the big Bucks in the first place. A case of two pampered actors adding fuel to a (then) fire that really needed no fuel adding to it, from a safe distance, whilst doing themselves a lot of good in the process. To just say it's confused, etc, is really letting it off the hook. It's awful, but if you're into 'pro Irish/anti British' you'll probably put this right next to the copies of Braveheart and The Patriot you already have on your shelf. If you haven't seen it yet, just borrow it, and don't say 'thankyou' to the lender.
Take care,
Baby Cromwell