'71

3.5 Stars (out of four)

'71 was, for me, both great and a bit disappointing.  What I thought would be one type of movie turned out to be another.

The story takes place in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1971.  This was a fairly hard time in what the Irish call "the troubles."  In 1971, the IRA's long-standing conflict with British took a very bloody turn.  In response to a robust crackdown on IRA activity, the Catholic-based IRA greatly expanded their insurgency campaign against British military and law-enforcement officers.  To complicate the matter, the IRA began to split over goals and tactics.  On the one hand, the IRA old guard was violently clashing with the younger and more violent Provisionals.  Both were also clashing with Protestant-based UK loyalists.  This violent soup centered on Belfast and turning it into a war zone separated by armed camps.  The story opens with a new, young British recruit sent directly to Northern Ireland on his first assignment to augment the beleaguered forces already there.  In his first outing, he is separated from his unit in a demonstration that degenerates into a riot and is accidentally left behind.  What follows is a harrowing journey through unknown territory pursued by Provos trying to kill him.  From one terrifying experience to the next, he is being pursued murderous Provos, undercover British officers trying to find him, and stuck between all manner of conflicts where he can't distinguish friend from foe.  Will he survive?

I was disappointed by this film as it pulls a bit of a bait and switch.  Due to the acclaim it has been receiving from several film festivals, I thought it would shine a little light on 'the troubles," particularly for those who don't live in the UK or Ireland and comment on the nuances of that particularly violent time.  It does this in a sense, but in the end, it is really just an excellent chase movie comparable in scale and tone to The Warriors.  Like The Warriors, it has a very dark, almost psychotic undertone where evil is everywhere for our protagonist.  Any character is a possible angel or killer, which creates a pervading sense of dread over the whole film.  But unlike The Warriors with its hyperbolic kitsch, this movie is not messing around for kicks.  There are real consequences that scar everybody in the story, and no one comes away clean and whole.  Therefore, it "feels" more real and is easier to swallow the premise and harder to reconcile with yourself at the end.  There are no "good guys" or "bad guys," only victims, which belies a more European and less American sensibility.  There are no winners, just degrees of losers, which makes this film a superior thriller to most.  Not a kid's film, but recommended for adults who want more thoughtful, somewhat escapist entertainment which gives you something to chew on once the lights come up.