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Submitted by cinemascope on Fri, 2006-06-23 17:23. :: Cinemascope 5
Movie title:
The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Starring:
Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Roger Allam
Directed by:
Ken Loach
Written by:
Paul Laverty
Genre:
War/Drama?Political
Year:
2006
Country:
UK/Ireland
Language:
English
Runtime:
127 minutes
Imdb:
Rating:
Synopsis
A young Irish doctor about to leave to take up a post in London is persuaded by his brother to join the IRA in their fight against British occupation after witnessing the brutality of the Black and Tans at first hand.
A young Irish doctor about to leave to take up a post in London is persuaded by his brother to join the IRA in their fight against British occupation after witnessing the brutality of the Black and Tans at first hand.
Review
First things first – this is a very powerful movie. Regardless of politics (not easily disregarded in a Loach movie) the story is one of high drama, covering loyalty, passion, and a struggle against injustice that it is impossible to not be moved by. The performances are all excellent, but Cillian Murphy perhaps deserves most praise, as his dramatic portrayal of an intelligent and sensitive man who undertakes a journey towards violence in the name of politics and freedom drives the narrative of the movie. My problem (not one, incidentally, that Stuart shares) is that Loach’s movie (as is often the case) seems structured to make political points, with characterisation and dialogue often suffering under the weight of what it is expected to achieve. In order to extol the virtues of a socialist revolution – which to be honest, Loach posits as being perhaps more important than a free Ireland – several scenes seem clunky and some characters are thinly drawn. A movie that pushes its points towards you rather than letting you approach, I would personally give this a 6. Stuart would give an 8. The mark given relects our compromise.
First things first – this is a very powerful movie. Regardless of politics (not easily disregarded in a Loach movie) the story is one of high drama, covering loyalty, passion, and a struggle against injustice that it is impossible to not be moved by. The performances are all excellent, but Cillian Murphy perhaps deserves most praise, as his dramatic portrayal of an intelligent and sensitive man who undertakes a journey towards violence in the name of politics and freedom drives the narrative of the movie. My problem (not one, incidentally, that Stuart shares) is that Loach’s movie (as is often the case) seems structured to make political points, with characterisation and dialogue often suffering under the weight of what it is expected to achieve. In order to extol the virtues of a socialist revolution – which to be honest, Loach posits as being perhaps more important than a free Ireland – several scenes seem clunky and some characters are thinly drawn. A movie that pushes its points towards you rather than letting you approach, I would personally give this a 6. Stuart would give an 8. The mark given relects our compromise.
