Review of Bloody Sunday (2002) by Stuart T — 12 Jun 2009

An early Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy & Ultimatum and United 93) effort sees the events of the massacre of 27 Irish civilians during Civil Rights Protestors in Derry back in 1974. All the usual suspects of a Greengrass film are present & correct - the shaky-cam shots, the documentary-style, top-notch performances & deft handling of the chaotic set-pieces.

Offering a voice to both sides of the story, this is a totally non-biased telling of one of the darkest days of the troubles in Northern Ireland. James Nesbitt excels as the politician trying desperately to organise a peaceful protest march for the civil rights of his fellow countrymen as things around quickly fall apart & descend into violence.

Greengrass directs the story brilliantly & creates a definate feeling of ever-increasing tension throughout the buildup to the march, right up to the sudden & brutal devestating outbreak of violence leading to the tragic deaths of many of the protestors. This is a difficult film covering a tragic story which seems to have as much relevance today as it did all those years ago.

Much like his more recent docu-drama, United 93, Greengrass doesn't try to offer a happy ending of even one that could be conisidered as closure. All he does is tell the story through the eyes of those who were there & witnessed the terrible events as they quickly unfolded.

A brilliant film about a terrible & tragic day in recent history.