`NOTHING PERSONAL' A GRITTY PORTRAYAL OF BLOODY BELFAST.Byline: Janet Maslin The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Made without partisanship and with a tough, wrenching sense of sorrow, Thaddeus O'Sullivan's ``Nothing Personal'' describes a 24-hour so-called truce in Belfast, Northern Ireland Northern Ireland: see Ireland, Northern. Northern Ireland Part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupying the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland. Area: 5,461 sq mi (14,144 sq km). Population (2001): 1,685,267. . The film is set in 1975, in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of bloody conflict, and it opens with the magisterial mag·is·te·ri·al adj. 1. a. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a master or teacher; authoritative: a magisterial account of the history of the English language. b. doomsaying of William Butler William Butler may refer to:
O'Sullivan, the impressive Irish film maker whose other work includes ``December Bride,'' means to illustrate the hopelessness of the strife in Northern Ireland. This is familiar film terrain, but he gives the subject tension and grit that elevate it above the ordinary. Adapted by Daniel Mornin from his novel ``All Our Fault,'' the film finds an inexorable momentum in its characters' anger. In this story's volatile climate, the old grudges combine with new frustrations and trigger-happy vigilantes vigilantes (vĭjĭlăn`tēz), members of a vigilance committee. Such committees were formed in U.S. frontier communities to enforce law and order before a regularly constituted government could be established or have real authority. to keep the bitterness alive. Paying explicit homage to ``The Battle of Algiers'' (most directly with mournful mourn·ful adj. 1. Feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful. 2. Causing or suggesting sadness or melancholy: the mournful sound of a train whistle. music borrowed for a grim early scene), ``Nothing Personal'' introduces an atmosphere of turmoil and a group of characters who at first seem unrelated. Kenny (James Frain James Frain (born March 14, 1968) is a British stage and screen actor. Frain was born in Leeds, Yorkshire and studied drama at the University of East Anglia. He also studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. ), who has enough conscience and gangland savvy to give the film a hint of ``Mean Streets,'' is part of a Protestant paramilitary group. These hotheaded hot·head·ed adj. 1. Easily angered; quick-tempered: a hotheaded commander. 2. Impetuous; rash: a hotheaded decision. young men fight against the Irish Republican Army Irish Republican Army (IRA), nationalist organization devoted to the integration of Ireland as a complete and independent unit. Organized by Michael Collins from remnants of rebel units dispersed after the Easter Rebellion in 1916 (see Ireland), it was composed of . And each side takes its marching orders from a shadowy older man (Michael Gambon, Gerard McSorley) with the imposing gravity of a gangland boss. The gunmen's jittery vindictiveness plays into the hands of the strategists who control them. But Kenny is enough of a maverick to think for himself, especially when the story's pressures begin to rise. He must decide what to do about his mad-dog accomplice, Ginger, played by Ian Hart with a wild, frightening fury. Ginger isn't in this for the politics; he's in it for the action. Hart won a best supporting actor award at the Venice Film Festival for his viscerally shocking performance in this role. The other major figure in the film is Liam, a Roman Catholic single father. He so desperately warns his children to stay off the streets that the film hints at calamity long before it arrives there. Liam is played with quiet dignity by the remarkable John Lynch, whose recent performance in ``Angel Baby'' showed the full extent of his soulful talents, and who ever since ``Cal'' has seemed the embodiment of Irish passion and despair. Slowly but surely, the film drags Liam into its troubles. O'Sullivan's direction is straightforward and taut, even during a finale that becomes as contrived as it is tragic. His ``Nothing Personal'' succeeds in making Belfast's struggles very urgent and personal indeed. THE FACTS The film: ``Nothing Personal'' (not rated). The stars: Ian Hart, John Lynch, James Frain, Michael Gambon and Gerard McSorley. Behind the scenes: Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan. Written by Daniel Mornin; Produced by Jonathan Cavendish and Tracy Seaward. Released by Trimark Pictures. Running time: One hour, 26 minutes Playing: Laemmle's Music Hall, Beverly Hills; Regent Westlake, Westlake Village; Academy, Pasadena Our rating: Three Stars CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: James Frain, left, and Ian Hart are members of a Protestant paramilitary unit in Belfast during a tense cease-fire in ``Nothing Personal.'' |
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