Film Review - A Belfast Story

Newcomer Nathan Scott pens and directs A Belfast Story, a murder mystery that keeps one eye on the past as it questions the validity of the present day ceasefire.

After a number of high-ranking IRA members are discovered murdered in their Belfast homes, a hard-boiled ageing detective on the cusp of retirement (Colm Meaney) is called in to resolve the case quickly and quietly, for fear of such acts of menace disturbing the already fragile Northern Irish peace agreement. 

From Neil Jordan’s psycho-thriller The Crying Game to the recent feel good Terri Hooley biopic Good Vibrations, the Troubles of Northern Ireland are regularly used as the springboard for films concerning themselves with "our wee country". 

A Belfast Story recently gained some notoriety with the help of a rather controversial press kit containing a balaclava, a bag of nails and duct tape. Despite the outrage felt by a number of journalists and film critics, it was a bold move from the director who went on to explain that the film would “capture the weight and physicality of violence” experienced by this country during the years of conflict. Sadly the film isn’t quite as bold in its execution. 

The film opens with a David Fincher inspired murder scene for our detective and the

supporting “Northern Irish Police Service” to contend with. However as the plot deepens, any integral grittiness becomes a pipe dream. Most of the set pieces that follow are atypical Norn Irish clichés, as it resorts to shoot-outs, car bombs and even a rather awkward scene involving a fish supper. 

Even Meaney’s usually reliable no-nonsense stern glare isn’t enough to give A Belfast Story the sharp edge that it so desperately craves. Save for the occasional, usually unnecessary philosophical reflection, his role in the film becomes reduced to nothing more than expositional. 

Understandably, the film tries to argue that Northern Ireland will never find true peace until it is rid of the old guard; the shady ex-provos and the politicians entrusted to lead us into a brighter future despite their despicable pasts, all depicted by an expansive cast. 

It all becomes quickly lost amidst hefty over-complicated dialogue, uninteresting characters and a diluted plot that could have been much braver in trying to stress its political convictions. If the film’s tagline states that, “someone always has to buy the last round,” it’s probably a safer option to save your money just in case that someone happens to be you.

Reviewed for The Big List NI

Itchy Fingers #9 - Kings of Controversy

Since its humble Dundonian beginnings in 1997, the Grand Theft Auto series has attracted just as much criticism as it has praise. However, this criticism doesn’t come from disgruntled professionals like myself. Rather, these condemnations come from concerned citizens of the world who feel that the games makes light out of violence and crime, and sadistically influence the youth of today. As Grand Theft Auto V surely rockets its way to the top spot of video game charts across the globe, I wonder if the orchestrators of this never-ending witch-hunt have only themselves to blame for the series’ phenomenal success. 

Long before appearing in the headlines himself, renowned publicist Max Clifford had a reputation for quite literally making the headlines. In an interview with the Sunday Times, David Jones and Mike Dailly, the creators’ of the first GTA game revealed that Max Clifford “made it all happen.”

Released back in 1997, the game immediately caused an outcry by turning deplorable criminal acts of violence and carnage into an easily accessible video game. Thanks to Clifford, the game was even subject of debate within Parliament, thrusting it into the public spotlight for the entire world to judge. Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, the controversial nature of the first GTA led to it becoming a cult classic, proving that there really is no such thing as bad publicity.

2001’s GTA III pushed the series forward leaps and bounds by substituting the initial birds-eye perspective for a three-dimensional third person approach that also ushered in a sprawling map, a vibrant city and of course, an extra serving of bloody violence.  As the series evolved from one generation to the next, the series was demonised for inciting gang violence, endorsing drunk driving, breeding contempt for authority figures and glorifying prostitution.

The series soon caught the intention of outspoken American public figures such as disbarred attorney Jack Thompson and conservative shock jock Glenn Beck who publically cried for the series to banned, blaming the game for number of murders and breeding “cop killers” out of America’s youth. It didn’t stop the series from continuously breaking sales records upon release and becoming a household name for both gamers and non-gamers alike.

Launching worldwide on September 17^th, GTA V will no doubt once again make the blood of hard-line conservative types boil. However, the majority of gamers are much more intelligent than the fear-mongering fundamentalists would have you believe. The series pioneered the sandbox genre, giving us fans absolute freedom to play as we see fit. The storylines have become less a parody and more of a peer to the gangster thrillers and Mafioso dramas that inspired the games in the first place. Characters were given a breath of life in the form of three-dimensional personalities and well written dialogue demonstrating the moral consequences that came along with their criminal escapades. In fact to list all the reasons why GTA is so much more than a crime simulator would be nearly impossible, given that the series has always strived to push the combination of technology and entertainment to the absolute limits of our imaginations.

Given the modest upbringing the first instalment to the series had, Rockstar Games must be pretty proud of themselves for becoming one of the lucky few developers to see their greatest creation become front page news worldwide, whilst others struggle to make it anywhere near the back pages.  For every Grand Theft Auto game, there’ll always be a shocked opinionated figure waiting in the wings calling for its head, bringing with them enough free advertising to send the game right back up to the top of the video game charts. And for Rockstar Games it only serves to prove one valuable point – that crime does indeed pay. 

Originally featured in The Big List Issue #239