Michael Collins
Ireland, 1916. His dreams inspired hope. His words inspired passion. His courage forged a nation's destiny.
Michael Collins, the man and the movie stands tall. The man is a hero whose fighting tactics became a model for other 20th-century struggles, a statesman who negotiated Ireland's break with England, a political martyr slain for the great cause he lived and breathed. Michael Collins roils with the passions of war furiously waged and peace desperately sought. A movie you won't soon forget.
Member Reviews
flawed but good - basilbenz
I saw this first in the now defunct Capitol Cineplex in Cork. I was surprised to see so many senior citizens in the cinema. The cineplex was so scummy it had to be something special to draw them in. Some of them might have been old enough to remember the civil war or at least to have had a close family member killed in it. Many of them were clearly moved by it particularly the end with its archive footage. It is a moving film, but you have to be careful.
One should never confuse history with entertainment and this is not a history lesson. All the major events are there, but there is a horrible bias from the director. I don't like DeValera or what he stood for, but what was hinted at the end in this movie is a travesty. If such a thing is true, you have to prove it, you can't slyly hint at it. There are other insidious things such as mortars and car-bombs which are clear reference to the 1970s-90s Northern conflict. Such weapons did not exist in 1916. To me this is an oblique way of implying that the Provos are somehow the legitimate heirs of the IRA in 1916 which of course they are not.
Despite this I enjoyed the movie a lot. The production values and acting was so good, it really felt like a timewarp. Neil Jordan is a great director, Neeson and Rickman are superb in their parts. Rickman looks so much like DeValera it is uncanny. I even liked Julia Roberts. It looks like she made a fair attempt at a Dun Laoghaire accent and of course it sounded phony. Southside Dublin accents all sound phoney to me anyway so I didn't mind. The best moment was the scene where Collins starts the civil war sitting behind a howitzer aimed at the Four Courts and fires. You can see a huge explosion and bits coming out portico. I actually felt scared that they had damaged this famous Dublin landmark. This won't mean much to someone from overseas, but anyone familiar with the Four Courts and the resident lawyers (sorry "barristers") in their eighteenth century costumes wouldHistorical Movie - Joolz
I don't know how accurate this movie, all I know is that it peaked my interests enough to seek out information about Ireland and its history. I thought the acting was good and drew me in the story, I kept wanting to know more. The only downside, was the Kitty storyline, for some reason it bothered me. I also love the cinematography of this movie, mind you I love Ireland, so I'm quite easy to conquer here!
I think it's a great historical movie though yes the actual facts might've been bent a bit... it's still worth the look.Éirinn go Brách - Slamdunk
The historical classic, Michael Collins, is a film that every North American of Irish descent should see --at least once. While the Irish accents of the principal cast are a far cry from believable, Liam Neeson and his ‘lads’ do a satisfactory job re-creating the drama that led to the formation of the Free State.
The sub-plot of the human struggle between Eamon De Valera and Mick Collins isn’t as well explained as it could, it confirms the adage that one man's rebel is another's terrorist. The citizens of Ulster, abandoned to the oppression of their often cruel occupiers, should be proud of the bold, perhaps contrived, protests of the eloquent ‘Spaniard’, Eamon De Valera.
Member Reviews
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flawed but good - basilbenz
I saw this first in the now defunct Capitol Cineplex in Cork. I was surprised to see so many senior citizens in the cinema. The cineplex was so scummy it had to be something special to draw them in. Some of them might have been old enough to remember the civil ...Historical Movie - Joolz
I don't know how accurate this movie, all I know is that it peaked my interests enough to seek out information about Ireland and its history. I thought the acting was good and drew me in the story, I kept wanting to know more. The only downside, was the Kitty ...Éirinn go Brách - Slamdunk
The historical classic, Michael Collins, is a film that every North American of Irish descent should see --at least once. While the Irish accents of the principal cast are a far cry from believable, Liam Neeson and his ‘lads’ do a satisfactory job re-creating ...