On January 30, 1972, thousands of civil rights protesters in Derry begin a peaceful demonstration led by MP Ivan Cooper (James Nesbitt); he wants to show the Brits and the IRA that non-violence is the ticket to independence, but things get out of hand. A dramatization of the landmark event that helped strengthen the IRA and became one of the British army’s most embarrassing moments. The filmmakers put us smack in the middle of events, making us feel the fear, anger and sense of hopelessness that the protesters must have felt that day. Paul Greengrass does an admirable job of sticking to the facts – that’s all he needs to do.
2002-Britain-Ireland. 110 min. Color. Produced by Mark Redhead. Written and directed by Paul Greengrass. Cinematography: Ivan Strasburg. Cast: James Nesbitt (Ivan Cooper), Tim Pigott-Smith (Robert Ford), Nicholas Farrell (Patrick Maclellan), Gerard McSorley, Kathy Kiera Clarke.
Trivia: The film was shown on British and Irish TV the same night as it also opened in theaters, thereby ruining any chances of being nominated for Oscars. Co-executive produced by Jim Sheridan.
Berlin: Golden Bear.
Quote: “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.” (Nesbitt at the press conference)
Last word: “I would not have done this film had I not thought it was a truthful account of what happened that day. I realized very quickly that Greengrass was trying to make a film in the spirit of reconciliation.” (Nesbitt, SF Gate)