Directed by Neil Jordan. Starring Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Miranda Richardson, Forest Whitaker, Jim Broadbent, Adrian Dunbar, Ralph Brown, Tony Slattery. (R)
A group of IRA members, including volunteer Rea, kidnap a British soldier (Whitaker); later, Rea visits the soldier's girlfriend (Davidson) in London and becomes involved in a most unusual relationship with her. Stunning blend of thriller and romance explores daring subject matter in consistently fascinating ways, creating a story that is so full of surprises (many more than just the much ballyhooed "twist") that its very genre changes multiple times. Most serpentine suspensers are built purely on their own mechanism, but this one goes one step further by actually making the audience care about and identify with the original, layered characters. Davidson, an amateur "discovered" by a casting agent, gives a terrific debut performance, matched by a fine group of co-stars, some of whom have never been better. Director Jordan's Oscar-winning script, however, is the true star, and a very rare bird indeed for a movie that became famous for its shocking surprise: knowing the secret in advance doesn't spoil any of the pleasures of watching the plot unfold, and the writing never cheats or unnaturally deceives the audience for the sake of a cheap jolt at the moment the rug is pulled.
91/100
