The San Sebastian Film Festival will fete Cate Blanchett with its honorary Donostia Award at its forthcoming 72nd edition.
Blanchett, the second Australian actor to receive San Sebastian’s highest honorary award after Hugh Jackman, will also serve as the image for the festival’s main poster. Check out the poster below.
Blanchett will receive the award in person in San Sebastian and it will be her first visit to the festival. But she has had several films screen at the fest, including Babel and Veronica Guerin.
Over a career spanning more than three decades, Blanchett has racked up more than 200 awards, including two Oscars, two Volpi Cups at the Venice Festival, four Baftas and four Golden Globes, an honorary César, and Goya for lifetime achievement. Her credits include collaborations with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg,...
Blanchett, the second Australian actor to receive San Sebastian’s highest honorary award after Hugh Jackman, will also serve as the image for the festival’s main poster. Check out the poster below.
Blanchett will receive the award in person in San Sebastian and it will be her first visit to the festival. But she has had several films screen at the fest, including Babel and Veronica Guerin.
Over a career spanning more than three decades, Blanchett has racked up more than 200 awards, including two Oscars, two Volpi Cups at the Venice Festival, four Baftas and four Golden Globes, an honorary César, and Goya for lifetime achievement. Her credits include collaborations with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Prime Video’s UK arm has pre-bought a suite of true crime docs about some of Britain’s most notorious crimes. The deals with London-based distributor Abacus Media Rights also include acquisitions of two completed series.
On the pre-buy front, the Amazon streamer has taken Woodcut Media double Murder in a Tea Cup and Murder at First Swipe, Peninsula Television’s Scissor Sisters, Big Little Fish’s Breaking Dad: The Richard Lubbock Story (working title) and Future Studios’ Lucie Blackman: Missing in Tokyo.
The acquisitions are Peninsula three-part shows The Heiress and the Heist and Confession of a Crime Boss.
Prime Video has tapped Amcomri Entertainment-owned Abacus for true crime docs several times over recent years, including for originals on Ian Brady, the murder of Meredith Kercher and Patrick Mackay.
From the new programs, Murder in a Tea Cup looks into one of the most intriguing and...
On the pre-buy front, the Amazon streamer has taken Woodcut Media double Murder in a Tea Cup and Murder at First Swipe, Peninsula Television’s Scissor Sisters, Big Little Fish’s Breaking Dad: The Richard Lubbock Story (working title) and Future Studios’ Lucie Blackman: Missing in Tokyo.
The acquisitions are Peninsula three-part shows The Heiress and the Heist and Confession of a Crime Boss.
Prime Video has tapped Amcomri Entertainment-owned Abacus for true crime docs several times over recent years, including for originals on Ian Brady, the murder of Meredith Kercher and Patrick Mackay.
From the new programs, Murder in a Tea Cup looks into one of the most intriguing and...
- 1/10/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Sky has released the official trailer for Sky Original series, ‘Dublin Narcos,’ ahead of its premiere on Sky Documentaries and Now from March 4th.
The new three-part docu-series tells the story of how Dublin transformed from a recession-blighted city in the 1980s to a growing metropolis in the 1990s. As its fortune changed, so too did its criminals. They spotted new opportunities. Those opportunities were sourcing and selling a succession of illegal substances – heroin, ecstasy and cocaine. As these drugs exploded in popularity, they came to redefine life and crime in Ireland, making millions for some, while fuelling a rise in addiction, violence and organised crime for many others.
Fusing documentary and drama, Dublin Narcos tells the story of how drugs changed the fabric of Dublin, which can still be seen to this day. This ground-breaking series hears first-hand from an extraordinary cast of characters, swept up in the burgeoning...
The new three-part docu-series tells the story of how Dublin transformed from a recession-blighted city in the 1980s to a growing metropolis in the 1990s. As its fortune changed, so too did its criminals. They spotted new opportunities. Those opportunities were sourcing and selling a succession of illegal substances – heroin, ecstasy and cocaine. As these drugs exploded in popularity, they came to redefine life and crime in Ireland, making millions for some, while fuelling a rise in addiction, violence and organised crime for many others.
Fusing documentary and drama, Dublin Narcos tells the story of how drugs changed the fabric of Dublin, which can still be seen to this day. This ground-breaking series hears first-hand from an extraordinary cast of characters, swept up in the burgeoning...
- 2/21/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Irish film producer James Flynn has died. He was 57 and his death was reported by the Irish Times, which did not provide details.
Credited on Alan Parker’s Angela’s Ashes, Joel Schumacher’s Veronica Guerin and John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, Flynn was a part of the reconstituted Irish Film Board.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story London Critics' Circle Awards: 'The Banshees of Inisherin' & 'Tár' Win Top Prizes Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' 'Women Talking' Among Oscar Best Picture Nominees Rallying At Weekend Box Office
The news comes as Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, on which Flynn worked as co-producer, has nine Oscar nominations for next month’s Academy Awards.
Oscar-nominated producer Ed Guiney, who worked with Flynn on Sweety Barrett more than two decades ago, remembered him for the Irish Times.
Credited on Alan Parker’s Angela’s Ashes, Joel Schumacher’s Veronica Guerin and John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, Flynn was a part of the reconstituted Irish Film Board.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story London Critics' Circle Awards: 'The Banshees of Inisherin' & 'Tár' Win Top Prizes Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' 'Women Talking' Among Oscar Best Picture Nominees Rallying At Weekend Box Office
The news comes as Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, on which Flynn worked as co-producer, has nine Oscar nominations for next month’s Academy Awards.
Oscar-nominated producer Ed Guiney, who worked with Flynn on Sweety Barrett more than two decades ago, remembered him for the Irish Times.
- 2/12/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars and filmmakers and not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between.
Today we pay our respects to Joel Schumacher, who passed away on June 22, 2020. A costume designer-turned-director, Schumacher made a name for himself with St. Elmo’s Fire and The Lost Boys in the mid-to-late 1980s. As demonstrated in those hit films, the filmmaker had an unparalleled eye for young talent. We examine four of lesser-remembered pictures: Cousins, Dying Young, Flawless, and Veronica Guerin.
There’s plenty of tangents here, as Schumacher was quite an outspoken sort. There are many interviews to reference and admire. We discuss his championing of young star Julia Roberts during her tumultuous rise to fame, the deep love he reveals for his characters (as evidenced in Cousins especially), the passionate failure of Flawless,...
Today we pay our respects to Joel Schumacher, who passed away on June 22, 2020. A costume designer-turned-director, Schumacher made a name for himself with St. Elmo’s Fire and The Lost Boys in the mid-to-late 1980s. As demonstrated in those hit films, the filmmaker had an unparalleled eye for young talent. We examine four of lesser-remembered pictures: Cousins, Dying Young, Flawless, and Veronica Guerin.
There’s plenty of tangents here, as Schumacher was quite an outspoken sort. There are many interviews to reference and admire. We discuss his championing of young star Julia Roberts during her tumultuous rise to fame, the deep love he reveals for his characters (as evidenced in Cousins especially), the passionate failure of Flawless,...
- 7/17/2020
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Niall Tóibín, whose long career as an actor and comedian saw him in roles ranging from Tom Cruise’s father to a moonshine maker in the controversial film Poitin, has died. He succumbed at age 89 in Dublin earlier today after battling an undisclosed long illness.
Tóibín kept working until last year, appearing in the Irish short film Remains. His movie resume includes Tom Cruise’s father in Far & Away, Judge Ballaugh in Veronica Guerin; a poteen-maker in Poitín, and as islander Seán alongside Pierce Brosnan in The Nephew.
He also had television appearances on Rte’s The Clinic; and was also credited in Ballykissangel, Rat, The Ballroom of Romance, King of the Castle, Brideshead Revisited and Frankie Starlight amongst others.
Tóibín’s theater work included playing Behan in Borstal Boy on Broadway, and appearing in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at the National Theatre in London.
Ireland President Michael D...
Tóibín kept working until last year, appearing in the Irish short film Remains. His movie resume includes Tom Cruise’s father in Far & Away, Judge Ballaugh in Veronica Guerin; a poteen-maker in Poitín, and as islander Seán alongside Pierce Brosnan in The Nephew.
He also had television appearances on Rte’s The Clinic; and was also credited in Ballykissangel, Rat, The Ballroom of Romance, King of the Castle, Brideshead Revisited and Frankie Starlight amongst others.
Tóibín’s theater work included playing Behan in Borstal Boy on Broadway, and appearing in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at the National Theatre in London.
Ireland President Michael D...
- 11/14/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Sneak Peek new images of actress Cate Blanchett ("Thor: Ragnarok") in the September 2018 issue of "Harper's Bazaar" (Australia) magazine, wearing Giorgio Armani, lensed by Steven Chee:
Blanchett has won two 'Academy Awards', three 'Screen Actors Guild Awards', three 'Golden Globe Awards' and three 'BAFTA Awards', as well as appointed 'Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters' by the French government in 2012.
Blanchett first gained international attention as 'Elizabeth I of England' in director Shekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth" (1998), followed by her portrayal of 'Katharine Hepburn' in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" (2004). In 2013, she starred as 'Jasmine Francis' in "Blue Jasmine".
Blanchett's other notable films include "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999), Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001–03) and "The Hobbit" trilogy (2012–14)...
...."Veronica Guerin" (2003), "Babel" (2006), "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008) and "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017).
Click the...
Blanchett has won two 'Academy Awards', three 'Screen Actors Guild Awards', three 'Golden Globe Awards' and three 'BAFTA Awards', as well as appointed 'Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters' by the French government in 2012.
Blanchett first gained international attention as 'Elizabeth I of England' in director Shekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth" (1998), followed by her portrayal of 'Katharine Hepburn' in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" (2004). In 2013, she starred as 'Jasmine Francis' in "Blue Jasmine".
Blanchett's other notable films include "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999), Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001–03) and "The Hobbit" trilogy (2012–14)...
...."Veronica Guerin" (2003), "Babel" (2006), "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008) and "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017).
Click the...
- 8/21/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Going back to the Sopranos, HBO has demonstrated a gift for grandly celebrating its new product, with its premieres serving as lavish exercises in self-congratulation. Still there was a palpable tension at Tuesday night’s party for Sharp Objects at the Dome – a sense that the fate of this new series carried more than usual importance.
Consider the following: HBO, now under new At&T ownership, has experienced mixed reaction to widely hyped new shows like Succession (already renewed) and Here and Now (cancelled), and would like to deflect media obsession from high-spending rivals like Netflix. Sharp Objects is a dark and gritty show about women, created by women.
Moreover, Sharp Objects also is a high profile example of the unfolding saga of movies-versus-tv. The novel by Gillian Flynn (who wrote Gone Girl) was originally...
Consider the following: HBO, now under new At&T ownership, has experienced mixed reaction to widely hyped new shows like Succession (already renewed) and Here and Now (cancelled), and would like to deflect media obsession from high-spending rivals like Netflix. Sharp Objects is a dark and gritty show about women, created by women.
Moreover, Sharp Objects also is a high profile example of the unfolding saga of movies-versus-tv. The novel by Gillian Flynn (who wrote Gone Girl) was originally...
- 6/28/2018
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Film director whose career took him from gritty television plays to Hollywood thrillers
People who talk wistfully of the "golden age of British television drama" are often accused of viewing the past through the rosy lens of nostalgia. But a clear-eyed examination of the era proves that such slots as the BBC's The Wednesday Play (1964-70) and Play for Today (1970-84) were unsurpassed as breeding grounds for talented directors such as John Mackenzie, who has died after a stroke aged 83. Like most of his contemporaries who gained their experience by working in television – Philip Saville, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Ken Loach, Mike Newell, Michael Apted and Mike Leigh – Mackenzie went on to make feature films, notably his superb London-based gangster picture, The Long Good Friday (1980).
The television background trained Mackenzie to work quickly on taut and realistic narratives, within a tight budget and on schedule. One of his first jobs was as...
People who talk wistfully of the "golden age of British television drama" are often accused of viewing the past through the rosy lens of nostalgia. But a clear-eyed examination of the era proves that such slots as the BBC's The Wednesday Play (1964-70) and Play for Today (1970-84) were unsurpassed as breeding grounds for talented directors such as John Mackenzie, who has died after a stroke aged 83. Like most of his contemporaries who gained their experience by working in television – Philip Saville, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Ken Loach, Mike Newell, Michael Apted and Mike Leigh – Mackenzie went on to make feature films, notably his superb London-based gangster picture, The Long Good Friday (1980).
The television background trained Mackenzie to work quickly on taut and realistic narratives, within a tight budget and on schedule. One of his first jobs was as...
- 6/12/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Opens
Friday, Aug. 1
United Kingdom
LONDON -- A luminous performance from Cate Blanchett lies at the heart of Joel Schumacher's impressive drama "Veronica Guerin. While it is a fair bet that she -- and the film -- will get honorable mentions when it comes to awards time, it is equally unlikely that the film will make much of a dent at the boxoffice. It has opened well in Ireland but is not set to be released in the United States until October.
The real-life story of crusading Irish journalist Veronica Guerin made its way to the screen in John Mackenzie's impressive 2000 film "When the Sky Falls", made for Sky Television, which was given a limited theatrical release. That low-budget drama starred Joan Allen as the fictional journalist Sinead Hamilton, though the story was very much that of Guerin.
Schumacher's film is far more glossy than Mackenzie's grittier movie -- his budget was larger -- but the films are similar in that they feature standout performances from two actresses very much at the top of their game. The character of Guerin is a powerful one, and it is easy to see why it would attract top actresses. As a journalist in Dublin in the 1990s, she set out to expose the vicious drug dealers rife in the city. Her obsession led to her murder in 1996.
"Veronica Guerin" covers the last two years of her life. It is refreshingly frank in showing that Guerin's passionate determination to expose Dublin drug dealers also led to her neglecting her family and being accused of seeking self-glory. While the Guerin presented here is clearly a woman driven by a very honest desire to right wrongs, she also is presented as being self-absorbed, reckless and susceptible to manipulation.
In her mission to battle the drug dealers, she is helped -- though often misdirected and manipulated -- by the roguish John "The Coach" Traynor (played with charm by Ciaran Hinds), though her real nemesis is the brutal drug lord Gilligan (Gerard McSorley, who gives a performance of frightening brutality). Faced with beatings and attempted bribery, Guerin remains strident in her mission, with support and balance coming from her mother Bernie (Brenda Fricker).
Schumacher directs with restrained skill, bringing out the passion and brutality of the situations without letting the film slip into melodrama. Schumacher's best work seems to come when he handles dramas with more modest budgets (such as "Tigerland" and "Flawless"), which challenge him and allow his clear intelligence and ability to work well with actors to come through.
Blanchett brings her expected professionalism and ability to the role. Her Irish accent is perfect, and she has the charisma and presence to easily hold center stage. Her character may be flawed, but she remains driven and admirable. Fricker, Hinds and McSorley also deliver powerful performances. Irishman Colin Farrell, a Schumacher regular, makes a brief appearance as the wonderfully named soccer fan Spanky McSpank.
VERONICA GUERIN
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Credits:
Director: Joel Schumacher
Screenwriters: Carol Doyle, Mary Agnes Donoghue
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Executive producers: Ned Dowd, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson
Director of photography: Brendan Galvin
Production designer: Nathan Crowley
Costume designer: Joan Bergin
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editor: David Gamble
Cast:
Veronica Guerin: Cate Blanchett
Bernie Guerin: Brenda Fricker
John "The Coach" Traynor: Ciaran Hinds
Terry Fagan: Darragh Kelly
Timmy: Laurence Kinlan
John Gilligan: Gerard McSorley
Spanky McSpank: Colin Farrell
Running time -- 98 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Friday, Aug. 1
United Kingdom
LONDON -- A luminous performance from Cate Blanchett lies at the heart of Joel Schumacher's impressive drama "Veronica Guerin. While it is a fair bet that she -- and the film -- will get honorable mentions when it comes to awards time, it is equally unlikely that the film will make much of a dent at the boxoffice. It has opened well in Ireland but is not set to be released in the United States until October.
The real-life story of crusading Irish journalist Veronica Guerin made its way to the screen in John Mackenzie's impressive 2000 film "When the Sky Falls", made for Sky Television, which was given a limited theatrical release. That low-budget drama starred Joan Allen as the fictional journalist Sinead Hamilton, though the story was very much that of Guerin.
Schumacher's film is far more glossy than Mackenzie's grittier movie -- his budget was larger -- but the films are similar in that they feature standout performances from two actresses very much at the top of their game. The character of Guerin is a powerful one, and it is easy to see why it would attract top actresses. As a journalist in Dublin in the 1990s, she set out to expose the vicious drug dealers rife in the city. Her obsession led to her murder in 1996.
"Veronica Guerin" covers the last two years of her life. It is refreshingly frank in showing that Guerin's passionate determination to expose Dublin drug dealers also led to her neglecting her family and being accused of seeking self-glory. While the Guerin presented here is clearly a woman driven by a very honest desire to right wrongs, she also is presented as being self-absorbed, reckless and susceptible to manipulation.
In her mission to battle the drug dealers, she is helped -- though often misdirected and manipulated -- by the roguish John "The Coach" Traynor (played with charm by Ciaran Hinds), though her real nemesis is the brutal drug lord Gilligan (Gerard McSorley, who gives a performance of frightening brutality). Faced with beatings and attempted bribery, Guerin remains strident in her mission, with support and balance coming from her mother Bernie (Brenda Fricker).
Schumacher directs with restrained skill, bringing out the passion and brutality of the situations without letting the film slip into melodrama. Schumacher's best work seems to come when he handles dramas with more modest budgets (such as "Tigerland" and "Flawless"), which challenge him and allow his clear intelligence and ability to work well with actors to come through.
Blanchett brings her expected professionalism and ability to the role. Her Irish accent is perfect, and she has the charisma and presence to easily hold center stage. Her character may be flawed, but she remains driven and admirable. Fricker, Hinds and McSorley also deliver powerful performances. Irishman Colin Farrell, a Schumacher regular, makes a brief appearance as the wonderfully named soccer fan Spanky McSpank.
VERONICA GUERIN
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Credits:
Director: Joel Schumacher
Screenwriters: Carol Doyle, Mary Agnes Donoghue
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Executive producers: Ned Dowd, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson
Director of photography: Brendan Galvin
Production designer: Nathan Crowley
Costume designer: Joan Bergin
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editor: David Gamble
Cast:
Veronica Guerin: Cate Blanchett
Bernie Guerin: Brenda Fricker
John "The Coach" Traynor: Ciaran Hinds
Terry Fagan: Darragh Kelly
Timmy: Laurence Kinlan
John Gilligan: Gerard McSorley
Spanky McSpank: Colin Farrell
Running time -- 98 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/21/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sexy movie actress Cate Blanchett was captivated by her latest role in the true story of murdered Irish journalist Veronica Guerin. The Lord Of The Rings star was so taken by the reporter's tale that she felt "enormous responsibility" towards Veronica's family in how the movie - also called Veronica Guerin - portrayed her life. Veronica was murdered in 1996 after penning a handful of exposes on Dublin's underworld crime lords and drug dealers for Ireland's Sunday Independent newspaper. Three men were accused of her murder, two of whom are now in prison for the crime. The third, John Gilligan, was acquitted but sentenced to 28 days in jail on drug charges - he is currently appealing this decision in Dublin's High Court. Cate, 34, says, "It's very powerful - especially with Gilligan back on the stand, it's not gone away." The movie is directed by Phone Booth helmer Joel Schumacher and produced by Pearl Harbor's Jerry Bruckheimer.
- 7/11/2003
- WENN
Australian actress Cate Blanchett has been in Dublin discussing her role in the new Joel Schumacher movie about murdered Irish reporter Veronica Guerin. Cate will play Guerin in the film, which begins shooting in February . Blanchett says, "The story is incredibly controversial. You get the sense that people are incredibly protective and defensive, and that they have a sense of ownership of the memory of Veronica. Iconic women like Veronica are much claimed and owned in our history, so it's an enormous responsibility to play her. I think she showed incredible bravery."...
- 9/17/2001
- WENN
LONDON -- "When the Sky Falls" is based on the events leading up to the 1996 murder of crime journalist Veronica Guerin in Dublin, Ireland. As directed by John MacKenzie (who made the excellent British crime film "The Long Good Friday"), the film is stylish and gritty and features fine central performances. While it should win critical plaudits, "Sky", which at times feels a bit like a movie of the week, isn't likely to attract big audiences.
Screenwriters Michael Sheridan, Ronan Gallagher and Colum McCann have put together an intelligent, well-constructed and moving script. Before her death, Guerin collaborated with Sheridan on an early draft of a screenplay that focused on her crusade against Dublin gangsters and the various attacks against her.
The film tells the story of fictional Sunday Globe journalist Sinead Hamilton (wonderfully played by Joan Allen), whose writings about the Dublin gangs cause an increase in her newspaper's circulation along with the violent attention of the gangsters. Her investigations also bring her into close contact with the Irish Republican Army -- which denounces the gangs' drug dealing -- and the police, who struggle to stop the mobsters.
But her efforts push gang boss Dave Hackett (Gerard Flynn) to take the ultimate step. On her way home from a court appearance, she is shot dead. Ironically, her death finally forces attention to Ireland's criminal laws, so drug dealers can be identified and apprehended and their assets seized.
In this role, Allen is the personification of steely dignity, and she does a good job with a Dublin accent. She achieves a fine balance between crusading journalist and attentive mother.
Her performance is aided by Patrick Bergin's turn as grumpy maverick cop Sgt. Mackey, though he is lumbered with the cliched dim assistant in the form of Jason Barry's Dempsey. Bergin and Allen's scenes together work particularly well. And the ever-excellent Pete Postlethwaite makes a brief but fine appearance as crime boss Martin Shaughnessy, who is knocked off early in the film.
MacKenzie handles action sequences extremely well -- particularly a car chase through the city estates -- and pushes the story with skill and ease. Technical credits are all fine, especially Mark Geraghty's production design, and DP Seamus Deasy gives the film an atmospheric hue.
WHEN THE SKY FALLS
Sky Pictures
In association with Irish Screen, the Irish Film Board and Redeemable Features
Producers: Nigel Warren-Green,
Michael Wearing
Director: John MacKenzie
Executive producers: Kevin Menton,
Peter Newman, Marie Louise Queally
Screenwriters: Michael Sheridan,
Ronan Gallagher, Colum McCann
Director of photography: Seamus Deasy
Production designer: Mark Geraghty
Music: Pol Brennan
Costume designer: Lorna Marie Mugan
Editor: Graham Walker
Color/stereo
Cast:
Sinead Hamilton: Joan Allen
Mackey: Patrick Bergin
Mickey O'Fagan: Jimmy Smallhorne
John "The Runner" Cosgrove: Liam Cunningham
Tom Hamilton: Kevin McNally
Martin Shaughnessy: Pete Postlethwaite
Dempsey: Jason Barry
Jimmy Keaveney: Des McAleer
Dave Hackett: Gerard Flynn
Running time - 107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Screenwriters Michael Sheridan, Ronan Gallagher and Colum McCann have put together an intelligent, well-constructed and moving script. Before her death, Guerin collaborated with Sheridan on an early draft of a screenplay that focused on her crusade against Dublin gangsters and the various attacks against her.
The film tells the story of fictional Sunday Globe journalist Sinead Hamilton (wonderfully played by Joan Allen), whose writings about the Dublin gangs cause an increase in her newspaper's circulation along with the violent attention of the gangsters. Her investigations also bring her into close contact with the Irish Republican Army -- which denounces the gangs' drug dealing -- and the police, who struggle to stop the mobsters.
But her efforts push gang boss Dave Hackett (Gerard Flynn) to take the ultimate step. On her way home from a court appearance, she is shot dead. Ironically, her death finally forces attention to Ireland's criminal laws, so drug dealers can be identified and apprehended and their assets seized.
In this role, Allen is the personification of steely dignity, and she does a good job with a Dublin accent. She achieves a fine balance between crusading journalist and attentive mother.
Her performance is aided by Patrick Bergin's turn as grumpy maverick cop Sgt. Mackey, though he is lumbered with the cliched dim assistant in the form of Jason Barry's Dempsey. Bergin and Allen's scenes together work particularly well. And the ever-excellent Pete Postlethwaite makes a brief but fine appearance as crime boss Martin Shaughnessy, who is knocked off early in the film.
MacKenzie handles action sequences extremely well -- particularly a car chase through the city estates -- and pushes the story with skill and ease. Technical credits are all fine, especially Mark Geraghty's production design, and DP Seamus Deasy gives the film an atmospheric hue.
WHEN THE SKY FALLS
Sky Pictures
In association with Irish Screen, the Irish Film Board and Redeemable Features
Producers: Nigel Warren-Green,
Michael Wearing
Director: John MacKenzie
Executive producers: Kevin Menton,
Peter Newman, Marie Louise Queally
Screenwriters: Michael Sheridan,
Ronan Gallagher, Colum McCann
Director of photography: Seamus Deasy
Production designer: Mark Geraghty
Music: Pol Brennan
Costume designer: Lorna Marie Mugan
Editor: Graham Walker
Color/stereo
Cast:
Sinead Hamilton: Joan Allen
Mackey: Patrick Bergin
Mickey O'Fagan: Jimmy Smallhorne
John "The Runner" Cosgrove: Liam Cunningham
Tom Hamilton: Kevin McNally
Martin Shaughnessy: Pete Postlethwaite
Dempsey: Jason Barry
Jimmy Keaveney: Des McAleer
Dave Hackett: Gerard Flynn
Running time - 107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 7/20/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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