THE DEVIL'S OWN 1997
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
1 :-) for the sadness of it all
Cast: Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Margaret Colin, Ruben Blades, Treat Williams, George Hearn, Natascha McElhone Director: Alan J. Pakula Screenplay: David Aaron Cohen & Vincent Patrick and Kevin Jarre based on a story by Kevin Jarre
Why does an Irish tale need to have a sad ending, when Irish jokes carry such moronic light heartedness? Probably because the IRA is no Irish man joke or simple laughing matter. Yes, this is a sad tale indeed. When a Irish lad (Brad Pitt) watches his father murdered before his eyes, he is forced to choose between forgetting or fighting back. In his world gone mad, he chooses to fight and exists only to strike again. In his living nightmare there are no winners or losers, only an ever rising death count. Revenge has an insatiable thirst for blood.
The boy grows into a man, and the man becomes a soldier in the Irish Republican Army. His journey leads him to the land of opportunities, where he must purchase weapons of warfare with which to hurt the enemy. Under the pretence of immigration, he finds board with the family of Irish policeman, Thomas O'Meara (Harrison Ford). Here he finds the father he lost, but can they remain friends? A fox cannot befriend a hound, as one is governed by the laws of instinct and the other by man. So the hunt begins, and the chase is intense, but we always know how the hunt will end.
So let me lighten this sad tale with an Irish Joke or two.
Why did the Irish man build a boat? So he could carry some missiles across the Atlantic to blow up the British.
Why did the Irish cop lie? Because he wanted to cover up the truth.
What did the Irish cop do with his bad conscience? He shot a friend through the heart.
Okay, okay so it's not very funny, but I'm not in the mood. Fine performances from a brooding Brad Pitt and ageing Harrison Ford, in this sad tale of Irish sorts. Anyone for some after dinner mints?
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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