Review of '71 (2014) by Walter M — 11 Mar 2015

'71 falls just short of being a truly great film. For the most part, it is a superbly constructed thriller, one that uses the backdrop of a fascinating moment in history as the launching point for a focused story about one man trying to survive behind proverbial enemy lines.

There is a blistering intensity to much of the goings on, a visceral quality that drops the audience right into a vividly-drawn portrait of what must have been a nerve-wracking, scary time for the U.K.

and Northern Ireland, in particular. The cinematography gives the movie the look of a seventies-era film; indeed, there's very little to indicate that it was produced at any time other than the period in which the story is set (save, perhaps, for the effective musical score, which reminds one more of the 1980s, if anything).

Jack O'Connell is very good in the lead role (between this film and UNBROKEN, the last year was pretty grueling for his characters), but the character is also the source of the movie's biggest issue; the character as written is kind of a blank slate; some lip-service is paid to his home life, but he's almost entirely a reactive character.

I admire the intention (not bothering with deep character development gives the movie a more lean and mean feel), but the audience is asked to invest in him mostly because of his frightening plight rather than anything particularly compelling about the character himself.

That said, the movie is still a tense and effective ride.