John Downes I saw this film just after having sat through The Sopranos, and was struck by the similarities.The central character is a fat sociopath who leads a life of crime including armed robbery, murder, torture and perverting the course of justice. He is surrounded by a small army of other low-lives who carry out his instructions.None of the characters is engaging, and I personally didn't give a damn what happened to any of them, except that I was quite pleased when the Cahill character got rubbed out, which happens at the very start of the film. (The rest of what you see is a flash-back.) On the positive side, at least you didn't have to watch 6 whole series of one-hour episodes to reach the denouement, and there's a decent performance from Jon Voigt. I'm not Irish but I thought his accent was pretty good.

elshikh4 (Brendan Gleeson) is so unwatchable as the lead. I couldn't catch on clearly what was going on. It didn't make me interest in it whatsoever. Everything was silly; from all the cast's members to the haircut of (Gleeson) ! It didn't succeed in anything but giving me such a powerful headache.How the lead wore this many masks in the court and no judge accused him of "contempt of court"?? How the lead comes close to be in jail then gets away with it every time ? I will not tire myself searching for the answers as the whole deal pushed me to not CARE ! It is one of the times where nothing drew my attention. In fact nothing was special, except the heaviness and the non-attraction. It lacked the action, being funny, or showing another formula that worked. And OH MY GOD it is one of those times when I got the feel that the movie I watch won't end! Just won't gonna end !! Don't consider this as a review. It is just a comment, an angry one, about a movie I didn't like, or rather a movie that perfectly didn't have the ability to affect me… Unless badly ! P.S : let's get philosophical. We have a case where the whole matter was uninteresting. Well, that's interesting itself ! So, was it the movie? Or was it me ? I think it's both!

drxym This is a great film, but I should warn people who are watching this on DVD that some versions ship with a black and white on one side and a colour version on the other.Do not watch the colour version! For some reason this version has different dialogue (and possibly editing) particularly with regards to swearing - freaking replaces f**king etc. I don't know why this is so but maybe the movie was watered down to get some lesser rating. Whatever the reason, watch the black and white version and see the movie as it was meant to be seen.

charlietuna Boorman if nothing else is a good story teller. As a director, his greatest triumph came early in his career with Deliverance. Yet as a writer, he has brought us quality films such as Excalibur, and Hope & Glory. His adaptation of the Paul Williams novel is straight forward and without frills. Martin Cahill had many aspects to his life that could have easily become the fodder for an over zealous director. Rather than seeking to build a "background" story out of his love triangle, Boorman handles it with style and two scenes. The movie is meant to tell you about the rise and fall of Martin Cahill with a watchful eye to the social and political forces in Ireland. Boorman does just that. The scenes are well thought out and the acting solid. While this movie never hit the critical radar in America, it was praised both in Britain and at Cannes. When your in the mood for a story of a gangster who became a populist hero, take a look at this film. But if you want swift action scenes and graphic violence, it may be time for another viewing of Bonnie and Clyde.