‘For God’s sake, will you never leave us alone?‘
There have been many excellent films made about the Troubles. Many of them are grim and gritty affairs (In the Name of the Father, Bloody Sunday), others approach the horrors of war with a lighter touch (Good Vibrations, Belfast) but all are at least interesting. ’71 is another addition to an already swelling canon and it’s as effective as it is poignant…
Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) is a new recruit in the British army when he is deployed in Belfast at the height of the Troubles. Following a dramatic and bloody conflict, Hook finds himself separated from his platoon. ’71 is the story of how he made it home but never really escaped the things that he saw.
Directed by Yann Demange (Top Boy) from a script by Gregory Burke, ’71 is a tense and claustrophobic thriller that mostly attempts to view all angles of an impossible conflict with compassion and warmth. Burke highlights that there were heroes and villains on both sides of the divide and the whole thing is grounded by a breakout performance from O’Connell who has perhaps never matched the wide-eyed intensity that he demonstrates here.
Elsewhere, a talented supporting cast made up of Sean Harris, Jack Lowden and an early performance from Barry Keoghan keeps things moving along nicely. Demange shoots Belfast always in darkness and shadow giving the impression that violence and sabotage lurks around every corner. As indeed it did. While it might have been nice to have some moments of levity to cut through the literal and metaphorical darkness it’s difficult to argue that this isn’t an accurate portrayal of a city that was on its knees and bleeding throughout the Troubles.
’71 is a short, sharp reflection of the casualties of war. It’s well-acted, well directed and waiting for you on Netflix as we speak. Essential viewing.