Resurrection Man

If you didn't press stop on your video recorder five minutes into this film due to the shocking nature of some of the opening scenes, you will discover that this is a beautiful film which has more in common with 'Interview With The Vampire', 'The Company Of Wolves', 'Brighton Rock' and 'Frankenstein' than it does with a film about sectarian violence.

Despite the book on which this was based, sectarian violence just provides an underlying base to stage this tale of the vampire like 'Victor Kelly', a young Irishman with a thirst for blood, fame and self destruction.

Stuart Townsend epitomizes evil in the role of Victor, supported by many talented actors.

The evil staring eyes of Victor Kelly, will stay with you long after watching the film. Perhaps this is why Stuart Townsend has been cast in the latest Anne Rice adaption.

Anyone who is familiar with the case of the Shankill Butchers should know that this movie is a travesty, and a disgrace to the victims and their families, and to everyone in Northern Ireland, regardless of their background. 99% fiction with 1% truth. The fact that the writer/director is cashing in on such a horrible era of brutality is almost as shameful as the pathetic popcorn-entertainment we've been subjected to with this movie.

"Artistic license" has been stretched to the point of snapping with this director. If you have an interest in history and the story of the Northern Irish troubles, this movie ain't for you.

Read Martin Dillon's book on the subject, "The Shankill Butchers", for a real insight into the events. I also urge you to try and get your hands on "Lost Lives", a book chronicling every death as a result of the N. Irish troubles from 1968 to 1999.

Failing that, here is Wikipedia's entry on the Butchers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankill_Butchers

Resurrection Man focuses on sectarian violence in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Concentrating on what sort of characters are involved in this lifestyle and their relationships, but doesn't really go into much detail why. Which makes the film into a more stereotypical "two gangs battling" film, focusing mainly on the relationships between the members of the protestant gang, and making it all very stylish. This is the film's main flaw, it's feels like you've seen it before, it has been done before and better by others. That said, Resurrection Man has some good performances and a decent soundtrack, but on the whole, unless any of the plot lines are of interest to you personally, you might be better off watching some of the established "classics" of the genre that are fairly well known.

Stylishly shot, but predictable, woefully under-developed script with patchy performances other than the compelling lead male actor. Seems to believe it's about violence, but incoherent story and directorial approach to the ultra violence the film purports to explore, results in triple X rated pop video. Not just bad, but stupid on quite a deep level.

Making a film about any conflict is ambitious but making one during a conflict is even more so. This film tactfully tackles the story of the Shankill Butchers a gang that mindlessly slaughtered innocent civilians and got away with it because it was during the Troubles. Strong performances from O'Rawe and Fricker in creating authentic Belfast dialogue. Townsend is sensational as as Victor and Holmes music is as good as its gets - long love SugarSweet...! If this production had the same budget as Goodfellows I shudder to think how good it could have been. Open your mind and imagine what it was like to live in a western street in 1970 with the army running down it and bombs going off.