Directed by:
Paul GreengrassScreenplay:
Paul GreengrassCinematography:
Ivan StrasburgComposer:
Dominic MuldowneyCast:
James Nesbitt, Allan Gildea, Gerard Crossan, Tim Pigott-Smith, Nicholas Farrell, Christopher Villiers, Gerard McSorley, Darren Healy, Eva Birthistle (more)Plots(1)
A dramatization of the Irish civil rights protest march and subsequent massacre by British troops on January 30, 1972. (official distributor synopsis)
Videos (1)
Reviews (9)
A film about human rights, which don't simply fall from the sky, even in the oldest European democracy. Practically everything - the performances, expressive techniques, and editing - is subordinated to a documentary approach, as if we were watching archival television footage of a demonstration. The shaky camera moves from place to place, creating the impression of a war reporter's work. This is an example of a politically engaged film, based on a true event. Overall impression: 85%.
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Before Paul Greengrass embarked on his filmmaking career, he worked as a political observer, focusing his global scale attention mostly on Northern Ireland. It was during this time that he gathered an incredible amount of facts and personal knowledge that he later transferred into this film. Right from the beginning, strong political incorrectness is apparent as one of the involved parties clearly "loses," but it's not the director's fault. With documentary-like impartiality, the film reconstructs events hour by hour (later almost minute by minute) and presents them in an incredibly unbearable and brutally authentic atmosphere. It quickly, succinctly, and very clearly showcases the stance of both sides. Moreover, he divides the plot into thirds, with the first literally squeezing the viewer with anticipation of real hell, the second raising the question "Why?" and the final "mourning of the dead" is, in my opinion, one of the most emotionally charged moments in the history of cinema. Its lack of sentiment puts even Steven Spielberg's film endings to shame. When I saw the mention of the queen, honors, and the number of those punished in the closing credits, which I read with teary eyes (seriously!), I was truly speechless!
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Greengrass's account of the memorable Bloody Sunday of 30 January 1972 is remarkable not in the facts he presents to the viewer (after all, this painful blemish on British politics is widely known in Western Europe and many documentaries have been made about it), but in the form in which it is presented. Greengrass's evocative direction, backed by nervous, jittery camerawork, successfully gives the viewer the impression that they are not watching a film reconstruction, but a documentary recording of one of the participants in the demonstration. I would argue that the main idea of the film is the words of the organiser of the demonstration at a press conference on the same day that 27 people stained Irish soil with their blood: “I just want to say this to the British Government... You know what you've just done, don't you? You've destroyed the civil rights movement, and you've given the IRA the biggest victory it will ever have. All over this city tonight, young men... boys will be joining the IRA, and you will reap a whirlwind.” 4 1/2 *.
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Incredibly intense. In the center of the action, Greengrass presents us with a bloody reflection of reality. A drizzly Derry, dynamic camerawork, precise James Nesbitt (a goodie who doesn’t slip into cliché is like gold dust these days) and realistic action. The strange editing style goes against modern approaches, but the fade-outs work perfectly. Political points to the IRA. - Listen, you can’t just leave them lying around her like pieces of meat! - There’s no room for them !
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A highly evocative and uncomfortable spectacle that digs deep into the skin with its authenticity and low-budget execution. After it was over I was furious and couldn't believe what people are capable of and the injustices they can tolerate, which was precisely the intention of the director. It's not a particularly gripping film and with the exception of the last act nothing much happens, but WHAT and especially HOW it happens afterwards clearly overwhelms everything and in the end it's the viewer who Greengrass gives the K.O. to, perfectly imprinting his vision of what really happened back then – I wish it had never happened. 4 and 1/2 stars.
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Gallery (16)
Photo © 2002 Paramount Pictures Classics
![Bloody Sunday - Making of](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/159/950/159950219_e66f74.jpg)
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