‘71
Starring Jack O'Connell, Sam Reid
Directed by Yann Demange
In recent years, “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland have served as inspiration for some outstanding cinema, including the harrowing Hunger – which introduced director Steve McQueen and leading man Michael Fassbender to a wider audience – or the euphoric Good Vibrations – which delved into the largely uncelebrated Belfast punk scene.
Working from a lean, limber script from Gregory Burke, the white knuckle-inducing debut from director Yann Demange deposits us in the urban warzone that was Belfast in 1971 and invites us to watch in astonishment as a neophyte British soldier navigates its treacherous streets.
Our introduction to Gary Hook (Unbroken’s breakout star Jack O'Connell, once again in impressive survivor mode) comes as he and his fellow recruits are being put through the gruelling paces of basic training and having it drilled into them that teamwork is paramount to their success. However, when a supposed routine weapon search in Belfast goes sideways (and then capsizes into abject chaos), Gary finds himself left alone on the streets, the quarry of both the IRA and Military Reaction Force.
Demange – who previously demonstrated an aptitude for orchestrating mayhem with the British television series Dead Set – does an exceptional job here of recreating the combustible milieu of this era without drawing from any specific recorded events. Likewise, he deftly escalates the tension until the film attains an enthralling intensity. Part of what makes the action so riveting is Demange’s ability to underscore the senselessness of the violence. Rare is the thriller in which every death registers as a tragedy. Equally as uncommon are first features this assured and well-executed.
