10 Best Films About The Troubles in Northern Ire

A List of Great Movies on the Political and Religious Struggles

Jul 19, 2009

This list comprises perhaps the 10 best films about 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland.

There are many great films that have incorporated ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland as a theme, either centrally or as a sub-plot. Aside from the sickly Hollywood interpretations of the conflict (Patriot Games and The Devil’s Own anyone?) there are some fantastic British films that despite not receiving global distribution, have tackled the subject brilliantly. Here are possibly the 10 best examples.

Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite and Emma Thompson star in Jim Sheridan’s film based on Gerry Conlan’s autobiography Proved Innocent. Day Lewis plays Conlon, the Belfast man who, along with three others, was wrongly convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings. The film recounts how coercion by British police officers forced the four suspects into confessing to the bombing. They were later found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Emma Thompson plays human rights solicitor Gareth Peirce, who with the help of Conlan aims to expose the cover up and free the Guildford Four.

Artist Steve McQueen’s debut feature film. Again an account of a true story, this time the 1981 hunger strikes at HM Prison Maze. Hunger is a brutal film portraying the conditions endured by the IRA prisoners being held at Maze including the blanket and dirty protests that were initiated to put pressure on the British government to grant the prisoners political status. Michael Fassbender (300) stars as Bobby Sands, the Commander in Chief of the IRA prisoners whose hunger strike gained international media coverage at the time.

The Film that kick-started the career of The Bourne Supremacy director Paul Greengrass. Bloody Sunday is a documentary style drama that recounts the events of January 30th 1972 when a civil rights protest march through Derry in Northern Ireland was fired upon by British troops in the town. James Nesbitt stars as Ivan Cooper, the activist who was leading the march. Greengrass’ handheld camera technique that became a trade mark through the Bourne films is used to great effect to create the documentary feel to Bloody Sunday

Although not set in Ireland nor based primarily on ‘The Troubles’ the IRA are the main antagonists in John Mackenzie’s gritty crime thriller. Bob Hoskins plays London gang leader Harold Shand, whose burgeoning empire is put under threat when his prized assets are bombed by an unknown source. Shand discovers that the IRA are responsible and goes all out to eliminate them, with tragic consequences. Helen Mirren is superb as Shand’s loyal but dishevelled moll Victoria.

Another film based on the hunger strikes of 1981, this time focusing on the personal struggle of the mothers of two of the hunger strikers. Helen Mirren plays Kathleen Quigley, mother of the fictitious Gerard Quigley, who battles to save the life of her son on the strike. The film was co-written by Jim Sheridan, director of In The Name Of The Father.

Although The Wind That Shakes The Barley does not take place during the height of ‘The Troubles’ of the 1970’s and after, it chronicles the early days of the Republican fight for Ireland’s independence in the early part of the 20th century. In typical Ken Loach fashion this is a strong personal drama with emotional resonance, it won the Palme D’or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.

Another Jim Sheridan film. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Belfastian Danny Flynn, who after fourteen years in prison for his involvement with the IRA returns home to continue his career as a boxer. The only problem for Danny is that his old friends don’t take too kindly to his new life away from political violence and when Danny opens a non-sectarian boxing club he is subjected to the wrath of his former IRA colleagues. Superb drama that received 3 Golden Globe nominations.

Originally made for television, Omagh, similar to Bloody Sunday in its style, recounts the events building up to and the immediate aftermath of the Omagh bombing by the IRA in 1998. The film focuses on Michael Gallagher, the father of one of Omagh’s victims who chairs a support group for grieving families and pushes the police enquiry into the bombings.

Again, the theme of The Crying Game is not specifically ‘The Troubles’ (quite a different kind of trouble altogether), however it does form a significant backdrop to the film. When a British soldier is captured by the IRA he begins to form a strange friendship with one of his captors, Fergus (Stephen Rea). The soldier tells Fergus of his girlfriend back in London, and when the hostage situation goes wrong, Fergus manages to escape and aims to seek out the lover to explain what happened. Unfortunately for Fergus, said lover turns out to be something quite unexpected.

Another feature that originally appeared on television. James Nesbitt and Liam Neeson star in this story of redemption and revenge. Alistair Little (Neeson) is the reformed former Republican who has spent time in prison for the killing of Joe Griffin’s (Nesbitt) brother back in 1970’s Belfast. Now, having penned a best-selling book on turning your life around, Alistair wishes to meet with Joe in front of TV cameras to ask for his forgiveness for killing his brother and to offer some kind of closure on the matter. However, Joe has completely different intentions. A gripping film.

The copyright of the article 10 Best Films About The Troubles in Northern Ire in Classic Film Dramas is owned by Gareth Harding. Permission to republish 10 Best Films About The Troubles in Northern Ire in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.