beorhhouse I give this anti-war gem 9 stars even though the various groups were not delineated enough to maintain clarity. The British Secret Service, I think, was involved as well as the IRA and the PIRA and supporters as well as the UDA, the RUC, and the British Army. I have friends in Belfast. I never visited, but I did spend time in Derry, and I lived in Armagh. My plans were to visit Omagh, but I left Ireland instead, missing the bombing by just a week or so (1998). This film shows, above all, humanity in the face of fearful hatred of 'the other.'

magnuslhad In the early days of The Troubles, a group of young soldiers are sent to support an RUC search for weapons. The situation spirals out of control, and one greenhorn ends up separated from his comrades and gets left behind. There then follows a long night in Belfast, as SAS, young Provos, UVF and senior IRA men all come across the soldier and try to manipulate him for their own agenda. "We take care of our own," say senior officers, but the film shows the truth to be anything but. This is a low-budget film that does an excellent job of exceeding its fiscal limitations to fashion a taught, gritty thriller. In essence it is one long chase movie on foot, but it never flags, and all dialogue and period detail is plausibly authentic. I would have liked to know more about the soldier, to be more emotionally invested in his character. There is a relationship with a younger brother that bookends the film, but it is an under-developed part of the story. A tale of one man's fight against horrible odds, and no knowledge of Ulster's history is required to enjoy this. The folly of war, and man's cruelty to man vividly dissected.

Desertman84 Jack O'Connell stars in this film that tells the story of a young British soldier that was accidentally abandoned by his unit after a riot on the streets of Belfast back in the 1971.Richard Dormer Sean Harris,Sam Reid,Charlie Murphy,Paul Anderson and Paul Popplewell co-star with him in a British independent drama directed by Yann Demange.Gary Hook is a new recruit of the British Army.He is part of the platoon that was sent to Belfast in 1971 during the early years of the Troubles in Ireland.Having an inexperienced platoon leader in Second Lieutenant Armitage,the platoon was sent in a violent are where the Catholics and the Protestant are loving together.The unit that he is assigned to conducts inspections of homes for firearms. Protesters known as the Catholic Nationalists and Protestant Loyalists gather side by side which later provoke a riot.Hook got left by the platoon accidentally.Without knowing who among the people are his friend or foe and getting wary of his platoon mates, he tries to survive the night alone and find his way to be safe through a unknown area.This was a good film.It was solidly acted and it definitely provides a lot of thrills and excitement especially with the experiences of Hook as he tries to survive the night at Belfast.Aside from Hook,the viewer is also able to get a glimpse of how tough times are ahead during the so-called Troubles at Belfast in Northern Ireland.Jack O' Connell did well as Hook.No question that his performance was a good one as he was able to capture the emotional authenticity of his character to what he was going through on his own at Belfast.Overall,this part action thriller and part historical drama is worth viewing.

SnoopyStyle It's 1971. Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) is a young British Army soldier. He is sent to Belfast. His unit supports the local Royal Ulster Constabulary in a search for guns. A crowd starts throwing rocks. One soldier is knocked out while a boy steals his gun. Hook gives chase followed by another soldier. They are left behind as the unit retreats. Hook's comrade is murdered by IRA radicals and he goes on the run. Meanwhile, the local IRA establishment is struggling with the young the restless radicals.The first half hour is really harrowing. I wasn't sure if it could keep it up and it doesn't actually. It takes some unexpected turns. It's a bit convenient at times. I would have preferred a more straight-forward man-on-the-run movie. The movie doesn't need to take that detour and it tries to connect too many parts of the story. Jack O'Connell is solid as well as all the other actors. This is a solid thriller.