MICHAEL COLLINS
A film review by Michael Redman
Copyright 1996 Michael Redman
*** (out of ****)
This is one of the most controversial films of recent times, not for the quality of filmmaking, but rather the subject matter. Depending upon whom you ask, Michael Collins is either a murdering terrorist and traitor to his own people or a national hero of Ireland. Again, depending upon whom you ask, director Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game", "Interview With A Vampire") either portrays history relatively accurately or plays fast and loose with the truth.
After the abortive 1916 Easter uprising against the British, Collins (Liam Neeson) comes to realize that the only tactic left to the Irish is an undercover war fought by an invisible army. Inventing the modern terrorism that became the signature of the Irish Republican Army, he and a small band of men bring England to her knees. As he states, his talent is mayhem. The problem is that once he wins, it is no longer mayhem that is needed, but politics. =
Sent to England by Sinn Fein head and president of the Irish Republic Eamon De Valera (played with an eerie intensity by Alan Rickman) to negotiate a settlement, Collins returns with less than he hoped for. Ireland would be divided with the south being a Free State, but having to pledge allegiance to the English king.
Historically correct or not, the film would have us believe that De Valera send Collins because he knew what the outcome would be and didn't want to take the fall himself. The two fellow revolutionaries have a vicious falling out and civil war breaks out, each on different sides and each leading forces killing their fellow countrymen. As with many battles for independence, the real question is what to do when there's a victory. =
There are cries of whitewashing Collins' life by changing events to make him appear more the hero. The less-than-admirable portrayal of De Valera, also an Irish national hero, will strike some the wrong way, especially the implication that he was involved in Collins' assassination. =
Liam Neeson has played larger than life historical figures in "Schindler=92s List" and "Rob Roy". Now he has stepped into the big shoes=
of Michael Collins. He is the fuel behind the film, although the co-stars (Rickman, Julia Roberts, Aidan Quinn and Stephen Rea) help carry it.
The cinematography is moody and with the exception of a technique stolen from "The Godfather", extremely affective. No matter what your politics, the craft of the film is beyond debate. And no matter what the historical realities were, it=92s an extraordinary tale.
It has been said that history is written by the victors, but in the latter half of the 20th century, history is being written by the filmmakers. Although the movie itself admits that some events have been =93fictionalized=94 to create a better story, the truth of the Irish revolution has become "Michael Collins" for many people. It may be wishful thinking to believe that we can have a grand film that is true to the events, but it would be interesting to see someone try.
[This appeared in the 11/7/96 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at mredman@bvoice.com]
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews