The Devil's Own
One man trapped by destiny, and another bound by duty.
Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt star in this harrowing thriller about an IRA gunman who draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism.
Member Reviews
Good Performances, But It Seems A Bit Dated And Too Sympathetic To The IRA - revsdd
Since the era of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland has largely come to an end, and the IRA is rarely heard from anymore (the fight over Northern Ireland's status having been successfully moved by the peace process into the political realm) this movie has a somewhat dated feel even though it's not even 15 years old yet, dealing as it does with a young IRA operative (Brad Pitt) who comes to America to buy weapons for use back home. On his arrival, a sympathetic Irish-American judge arranges to have him stay with a local Irish-American police officer (Harrison Ford), who isn't aware of of the IRA connections. Eventually, the arrangement comes to endanger the lives of the officer's entire family.
The two lead performances were pretty good. Pitt as Francis (or Rory, as he called himself in America) and Ford as O'Meara both seemed to capture their characters quite well. The first hour or so of the movie was rather slow-paced, but it picked up once O'Meara put everything together and figured out what Rory was all about. I was somewhat put off by what I thought was an implicit pro-IRA sentiment in this. At the movie's opening, Francis is sitting at the kitchen table at the age of 8 while his father says grace before a meal, only to have presumably unionist gunmen break him and shoot him in cold blood. It seemed to me that this was almost a way of justifying Francis/Rory's later actions, and it's even said at one point that "if I had seen my dad shot dead in front of me ..." Sorry, one can't justify those acts. "I'll do this because you did that," which means that a cycle just gets started that's hard to climb out of. Both IRA and unionist gunmen should have been ashamed to call themselves Catholic and Protestant, their actions having nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus, whom both Catholics and Protestants claim to follow.
Pro-IRA sentiment aside, I still thought this was a rather weak movie, saved somewhat by Pitt and Ford.Great Cast - Disappointment - SmooveB
For years I never got around to watching this film but picked out after seeing it was one of the early Blu-Ray releases and hopefully for good reason. Harrison Ford does his usual great performance as the strong moral upstanding character as a veteran NY Cop and a father of 3 daughters. Brad Pitt had a serviceable performance while still learning his Irish accent (I much preferred his accent in "Snatch") as an IRA terrorist. The film seemed to have really high hopes with a relationship developing between the two characters and their own character arc as well. But half way into the movie, I realized the script was just all over the place. Unnecessary scenes that were a bit cliche about Harrison Ford as a good cop, and the whole IRA plot that Brad Pitt's character was meant to carry out didn't really have any intensity. Actually I didn't get anything about that plot except there some other bad guys involved, who by the way did not seem that bad considering the kind of business they were in. Overall, I was highly disappointed with the movie as I was hoping for a good semi-political thriller with some good scenes between Harrison and Brad.Five Stars Despite Shortcomings - Sanchez
Brad Pitt delivers a believable performance as an Irish hooligan who comes to America to do some IRA-related business. He pulls off the often-tricky Irish brogue with flare and his acting is typical Brad Pitt - on an even keel. Harrison Ford plays the American host who takes Pitt's character into his home and treats him like the son he never had. Ah, but alas, in the end Pitt's character falls short of what his American friend expects.
The plot for this film is okay, however, it doesn't leave much to the imagination. It's really pretty predicatble in parts, but it's still good entertainment. The title is intriguing enough to get one's attention and it does fit the spirit of the film. Pitt is a bad boy in need of redemption . . . the question is, will he find it before the end credits roll?
I scored the movie five stars because it is one that I could watch over and over, despite certain shortcomings.
Member Reviews
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Good Performances, But It Seems A Bit Dated And Too Sympathetic To The IRA - revsdd
Since the era of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland has largely come to an end, and the IRA is rarely heard from anymore (the fight over Northern Ireland's status having been successfully moved by the peace process into the political realm) this movie ...Great Cast - Disappointment - SmooveB
For years I never got around to watching this film but picked out after seeing it was one of the early Blu-Ray releases and hopefully for good reason. Harrison Ford does his usual great performance as the strong moral upstanding character as a veteran NY Cop ...Five Stars Despite Shortcomings - Sanchez
Brad Pitt delivers a believable performance as an Irish hooligan who comes to America to do some IRA-related business. He pulls off the often-tricky Irish brogue with flare and his acting is typical Brad Pitt - on an even keel. Harrison Ford plays the American ...