Review of The Journey (2017) by Lanfranco C — 07 Jul 2017

What it lacks in authenticity is more than made up for by its fictional though thoughtful debates of the issues at the heart of the Northern Ireland peace process, why it took so long to resolve and the remarkable steps it took to bring about a workable solution.

Add to that the sizzling performances of Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, and you've got a riveting series of dialogues that, in lesser hands, might easily have come off as a dry, plodding history lesson.

While I usually have issues with films that take such blatant dramatic license, and even though the writing and narrative occasionally go wildly off the rails, this inventive take on this subject matter satisfies immensely without ever becoming tedious or pretentious.

There's more here than many of the dismissive accounts contend, and that's worth watching -- and perhaps applying when circumstances merit.