NYFF52 REVIEW: '71
Set against the backdrop of 24 hours in 1971 Belfast, ’71 is a powerful and riveting account of one soldier’s journey into hell and back. Jack O’Connell portrays Gary Hook, a young British soldier sent with his comrades to Belfast on his first mission. They are to arrive with police troops as they search for guns in houses and are there to keep the peace. At first, they are set up wearing riot gear and helmets until their commanding officer asks them all not to wear any gear in fear of scaring the local citizens. Instead, they are to just wear their uniforms and berets, armed with guns. This way, they will appear less threatening and, he hopes, will portray a less hostile feeling towards the locals. As they arrive in town, things go south very quickly, with police beating citizens in the street and protesters go toe to toe with the armed military. Chaos ensues, and the soldiers are forced to vacate the madness, unknowingly leaving behind Gary and another soldier as they are chasing down a boy who has stolen one of their guns. After the second soldier is killed, Gary is left on his own, in the middle of a very politically torn Northern Ireland, and must find a way to get back to his base and survive the night.
Director Yann Demange takes off immediately with a visual and kinetic energy that thrusts the action forward and never lets you go. You feel trapped alongside Jack as he searches for people willing to help him and figure out who he can and can’t trust. Gregory Burke’s screenplay bristles with strong, exciting, and harrowing dialogue that matches the intensity of Demange’s action perfectly. Jack O’Connell (Starred Up, Skins) is fantastic here as the young soldier in dire need of help. He has a mixture of confusion, terror, and drive that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Much of his part requires little dialogue and a lot of emotion, and he handles it expertly. As things go from bad to worse for Gary, we are introduced to more and more problems from within. Not only does he have to find people inside the town to trust, but there’s also the IRA as well as his own police force working against him. Two of his fellow officers are trying to find him and bring him to safety. Much tension lies in whether they will find him before everyone else does? ’71 is a powerful reminder of the conflict in Northern Ireland and a troubling reminder of the more things change; the more they stay the same.
VERDICT: A Must See
Written by Gregory Burke Directed by: Yann Demange Starring Jack O’Connell, Sam Reid, Sean Harris, Charlie Murphy, Barry Keoghan. CONTENT ADVISORY: Adult Language, Graphic Violence
BOTTOM LINE: Transfixing, powerful, and riveting. ’71 is not a movie you will easily shake.