Biographical drama based on a true story, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson, Pete Postlethwaite and John Lynch. On 5 October 1974, two bombs destroy pubs in Guildford, killing five people. Later, three men and a woman are sentenced to life imprisonment after being tried and convicted of causing the explosions. They become known as the "Guildford Four", and their lawyers and supporters begin a 14-year campaign to secure their release.
This is a stirring and exceptionally well acted, though controversial, dramatisation of Gerry Conlon's book about the grave miscarriage of justice suffered by the Guildford Four. Daniel Day-Lewis is highly impressive as Conlon, a naive young Irishman who couldn't blow his own hat off, arrested by the police for terrorist bombings along with three equally unlikely individuals. The rest, as they say, is history and, as directed by Jim Sheridan, who worked with Day-Lewis on My Left Foot, the story still packs an enormous dramatic punch. Pete Postlethwaite is brilliant as Conlon's bemused and hapless father, and the only false note is struck by Emma Thompson, who's hopelessly miscast (albeit Oscar-nominated) as the Four's solicitor. Don't miss.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Gerry Conlon | Daniel Day-Lewis |
| Gareth Peirce | Emma Thompson |
| Guiseppe Conlon | Pete Postlethwaite |
| Paul Hill | John Lynch |
| Paddy Armstrong | Mark Sheppard |
| Carole Richardson | Beatie Edney |
| Sarah Conlon | Marie Jones |
| Annie Maguire | Britta Smith |
| Robert Dixon | Corin Redgrave |
| Joe McAndrew | Don Baker |
| Benbay | Paterson Joseph |
| Chief PO Barker | John Benfield |
| Ronnie Smalls | Frank Harper |
| Girl in pub | Alison Crosbie |
| Guildford soldier | Philip King |
| Danny | Anthony Brophy |
| Tommo | Frankie McCafferty |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Jim Sheridan |
