A Night in a Troubled Place
‘71
Yann Demange’s ’71 is an action film, first and foremost. Sure, it is set within a web of political intrigue that was Northern Ireland during the Troubles, but the motives of the various parties involved revolve not around flag or country, but around a young British soldier, Gary Hook. Played by rising star Jack O’Connell, Hook finds himself spending a night alone in the less-than friendly Belfast, with everyone after him. Needless to say, ’71 is a story of survival, much like O’Connell’s more recent collaboration with Angelina Jolie, Unbroken. However, unlike the latter, this film engulfs its main character entirely at the whims of people driven by their own relentless motives to kill him.
‘71’s narrative, of course, is driven by the tension between the Catholic Nationalists and the Protestant Loyalists. Much has been said about the Troubles, and I need not expound on it here. The beauty of Demange’s approach to the conflict lies in its reluctance to choose a side. There are no clean hands: everyone is victimized here, and innocence lies only with Hook’s much younger brother back home.
Much of the film takes place at night, in the cramped and chilly streets of Belfast. It is thus unavoidable to squint at certain scenes where the light is less than ideal, but cinematographer Tat Radcliffe makes do. On the other hand, the film really shines in crafting the atmosphere of the time. From the leather vests of undercover operatives, to the cramped apartment interiors, to the Beatles-era haircuts of pistol-wielding youngsters, the film took care in obtaining the look and feel of the era.
The narrative and technical aspects aside, the showcase of the film are the performances by its excellent cast. O’Connell, of course, is excellent as Hook. Like other great actors, he knows not only what his character is feeling, but also how to most effectively translate it into the celluloid. A spoiler: towards the end, left without any recourse, he pleads for his life. Never looking at the camera, he squirms and sobs in the face of inevitable death. The film is littered with performances like these, and not just from O’Connell. Sean Harris particularly excels as a corrupt counter-insurgency captain, slimy in his own way, but cold, calculating, and severe in his demeanor. Performances like these bring life to a web of intrigue and corruption, perhaps not far from the conflict that it so adamantly seeks to portray.
Who, then, is to blame for the Troubles? ’71 does not seek to answer such questions. Instead, it articulates what is fundamentally wrong with such conflicts, echoed by one of the characters who come to Hook’s aid: “Posh cunts telling thick cunts to kill poor cunts…You’re just a piece of meat to them”. The film articulates this so well, and across a variety of genres that seldom can you look away.
