Michael Collins

Liam Neeson was 43 when this movie was made. The real-life Michael Collins was 31 when he died. Collins was only 5'10", whereas Neeson is 6'3".

Eamon de Valera is shown surrendering with the General Post Office garrison after the Easter Rising. However, he was actually Commandant of the garrison at Bolland's Mills, which surrendered after the GPO upon receiving orders to stand down. He was never at the GPO during the Rising.

Opening scroll: At the turn of the century Britian was the foremost world power and the British Empire stretched over two-thirds of the globe. Despite the extent of its power its most troublesome colony had always been the one closest to it, Ireland For seven hundred years Britain's rule over Ireland had been resisted by attempts at rebellion and revolution, all of which ended in failure. Then, in 1916, a rebellion began, to be followed by a guerilla war which would change the nature of that rule forever. The mastermind behind that war was Michael Collins. His life and death defined the period, in its triumph, terror and tragedy. This is his story.

Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Extreme Measures/Secrets & Lies/2 Days in the Valley/Caught/Ed's Next Move (1996)