Fact-based story about Irish crime-investigating reporter Sinead Hamilton, who invaded the Irish underworld and attempted to expose the illegitimate activities she found. Hampered by the system, a police consort is ineffectual at aiding her despite trying to step outside of the normal bounds. Kevin McNally plays her husband, who hates her activities and the danger in which she places herself. Nonetheless, he grudgingly admires her persistence and encourages her investigation.
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Reviews
Too much of everything
Such a frustrating disappointment
Just perfect...
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Watched this by chance on late TV one night and found it very gritty and far more realistic than the already seen Cate Blanchett version of Veronica Guerin. The cast were a lot more 'Irish' looking and the script wasn't so Americanized. The whole pace of the movie and the sets were good too. Patrick Bergin is another brilliant Irish actor and is not in nearly enough Irish films about Ireland. The social scene, nightclubs and all were all bang on and I liked the pace of the film as well. The film didn't receive nearly enough recognition for it's stark look into Irish drug culture and to how low people will stoop to get their fix. Anyone who's seen Veronica Guerin would do well to give this a look......
This movie has great potential, and is in itself a fairly good piece, however, the one main flaw with this movie is the end. For anyone who's seen it, i'm sure you would agree, that the end is far to abrupt and leaves the viewer with little to no resolution. I'm not sure if it was the filmmakers intent to make it thus to forward a point, but personally i think it would have been better to at least have some sort of montage showing the resolutions to all her actions like the convictions of the various gangsters, instead of a small paragraph saying 'they' were arrested or whatever. (this is just to fill up space so don't bother reading this thanks)
From the opening scenes this film brought back the memories of shocking headlines from the recent past through which we have lived. Fictionalised maybe, but very close to the reality. Each scene struck home. These were our headlines. This was Dublin in the grip of drug barons. This is how it was. A wonderful cast brought it all to life again. If I have a minus note it is that the names were changed. I wonder why, but I suppose there may have been legal reasons. We in Dublin know the real names. The criminlas are now behind bars. This is a story of our time. It should be compulsory viewing for all. For the lawless that they be warned. For the lawful that they may never forget. It was a great American who said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance!
Based on the life and shocking murder of real Irish crime reporter, Veronica Guerin, Joan Allen gives a solid performance as gutsy Sunday Globe hack Sinead Hamilton.John Mackenzie's film remains largely faithful to its real life inspiration's story and does not hold back on the brutality of the Dublin underworld. Nothing is spared from the slaying of Pete Postlethwaite's Martin Cahill style character Shaughnessy to the chilling death of a young heroin addict in a Dublin nightclub. Funded by Rupert Murdoch's Sky Movies channel in the UK, the movie sometimes struggles to overcome its tight budget and the made for television feel. However in 'The Long Good Friday' director's capable hands, it often succeeds particularly with a spectacular car chase through the centre of Dublin.Where the film really scores is in its supporting performances - most notably, Jimmy Smallhorne as Hamilton's underworld confidante, Ruairi Conroy as a heroin addict, Liam Cunningham and Postlethwaite as old school crooks and particularly, Gerard Flynn as Hamilton's nemesis Hackett and Gavin Kielty as the skinhead, Tattoo. Mackenzie also somehow manages to wring out decent performances from Patrick Bergin as the frustrated cop, Mackey and Jason Barry as his partner.If there are drawbacks it is the flatness of the relationship between Hamilton and her husband (Kevin McNally) - oddly reminiscent of the relationship between Lacey and her husband in Cagney and Lacey. The newspaper scenes are also a bit hackneyed - bearing little resemblance to real life newsrooms.A superior film to Dublin crime pics, Ordinary Decent Criminal and The Vicious Circle, it still falls short of the visual, narrative and performing heights of John Boorman's The General. Nevertheless, When the Sky Falls is still good entertainment and one of the more honest biopics you are likely to see in cinemas this year. It will be interesting to see how this film travels beyond Ireland where Guerin's death caused so much outrage.
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