Wow, that was a super-tight action/history thriller that covers quite a lot of different questions (and makes a viewer aware how ignorant we are about recent history). It got brilliant reviews that intrigued me so I decided to check it out although at first it does not appear as something that I would normally go for (having first-hand experience with army and wars, I never watch war movies).
It all happens during 24 hours in Belfast where two opposite fractions tear the city apart - there is a catholic and protestant Belfast clearly divided by line as any war zone and bunch of young British soldiers placed right in the middle to support what is meant to be routine search for hidden weapons. Soldiers are all young, fresh-faced and basically innocent guys who could be anybody's brothers and sons, so to see them thrown in such a dangerous situation is truly painful to watch and I got all sorts of flashes from my own experiences during the movie. That this is all based on real historical facts - early 1970s Belfast was definitely not a place to be - makes the whole thing even more breath-taking. The tight direction and excellent acting turns this all into quite unforgettable experience, as eventually story becomes so gripping, intense and realistic that you start feeling as hunted and disoriented as the main character (brilliant Jack O'Connell). What in other hands could have been just another cliché action movie turns out to be first-class dark drama.
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