- Film Review
- Reviewed By Terry Staunton
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3 out of 5
Based on the autobiography of Martin McGartland, a police informant scaling the ranks of the IRA in the late 1980s, director Kari Skogland's film focuses on the effects the Troubles had on families, rather than addressing any wider political questions. Jim Sturgess portrays McGartland as a well-meaning but confused youth in a divided Belfast where, as one character puts it, "you're not a man unless you've got a cause", perfectly conveying the desperation of the times. Ben Kingsley, as McGartland's police "handler" Fergus, struggles with the task of providing the film with a moral compass of sorts - the title derives from the belief that McGartland's information saved the lives of at least 50 police and soldiers. However, Skogland's voyeuristic approach to the violence of the conflict tends to undermine any message, as she rigidly sticks to the thriller clichés seen in countless entirely fictional scenarios.
Plot Summary
Political thriller based on a true story, starring Ben Kingsley and Jim Sturgess. Belfast in the late 1980s: young Martin McGartland is recruited by the police to infiltrate and spy on the IRA. But as he gradually works his way up the ranks, his double life as an informer begins to take its toll.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Fergus
- Ben Kingsley
- Martin McGartland
- Jim Sturgess
- Sean
- Kevin Zegers
- Lara
- Natalie Press
- Grace
- Rose McGowan
- Mickey Adams
- Tom Collins
- Ray
- William Houston
- Robbie
- Michael McElhatton
- Mary
- Laura Leigh Hughes
- Kieran
- Gerard Jordan
Crew
- Director
- Kari Skogland
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