Rating of
3/4
"Bloody Sunday" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 01/22/12
The true story of one of the most pivotal and shameful events during the troubles of Northern Ireland when the occupying British army opened fire on unarmed civil rights protesters in 1972. Paul (The Bourne Identity) Greengrass' representation of this horrific event in Irish history is an uncompromising, unflinching and honest portrayal of something the British government would no doubt wish to forget and only relatively recently admitted responsibility for. The documentary style approach avoids soap opera style melodrama, unnecessary sub plots and sentimentality to show a truthful and unbiased picture of what happened that day and it's all the more powerful for it. James Nesbitt shines amongst a cast that are all totally believable as both sides of the story are shown in equal measure, both the victims of the atrocity and the unprepared military whose lack of training for such situations and indifferent command led to a huge over reaction and tragedy. It's a deeply shocking story and a timely reminder of what it must be like for any population who has to live their lives in fear.
