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Mar 01, 2017kpelish rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An inspiring and heartbreaking film about one of the major leaders in Ireland’s fight for independence. The director and the producer took great care in reproducing Dublin during the rebellion period, including the 1916 firefights. More importantly, the characters are well-developed and the terrible, beautiful costs involved are not whitewashed. Internal politics also add to the threats, culminating in a sad civil war. Throughout, the Irish love of word play and irreverent humor during even the darkest moments crops up. For example, during the handover of Dublin Castle from the British to the Irish, Liam Neeson (playing Michael Collins wonderfully) pokes fun at the stiff-necked British commander, who’s wearing an ostentatiously plumed hat: “Do I get to wear that hat now?” ;-) My only critique is negligible: during the killings, the musical score/dark chords go over the top, aurally detracting from the scenes. However, the Irish tunes and uilleann pipes are lovely.