Reader Recommendation: Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)

About two weeks ago my friend insisted that I watch this movie, Fifty Dead Men Walking. It's taken me a while to get around to it, as I haven't really been in a "real life story about the IRA" kind of mood. From the description it sounded like it could be quite a bit like Munich which I wasn't a fan of. That's probably another reason why I've held off on this too. Nevertheless, today I told myself I'd watch it and that's exactly what I did. Knowing what Munich was like, I went into this prepared to be bored. Hit the jump to see this movie about the IRA hit it's mark, or completely bombed!



Before we get into it, let me give you a quick rundown on the story of Fifty Dead Men Walking. To be honest, the very first time I heard the title, I thought "zombies", but unfortunately that's not what this is about. It's based on the true events of Martin McGartland's life, in which he became a member of the IRA and also an informant for the British police helping them stop bombings and capture IRA guns, as well as other things. The movie takes place over roughly an 11 year period when this all took place back in the 80s.

Starring Jim Sturgess as Martin, and Ben Kingsley as his British police contact/handler, I felt the acting was done quite well. Ben Kingsley is a very talented actor, but he just sort of did his same old shtick of the serious quiet father figure role. Not much of a stretch, but then that's why they probably hired him. Jim Sturgess however was lively and full of character. One moment he's rather charming and funny, the next he might be terrified and running for his life. No matter what he needed to do though, it was always bold and in your face and I quite liked it.

Martin meets with the police, trying to save lives.

Being that the story is based on real events, there's not too much leeway for the story to get creative. This can often cause most movies that are "based on real events" to become fairly boring. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the IRA situation in the 80s was pretty crazy and chaotic that it fits being a movie quite well. There are a few explosions in the movie, but not that many as this is more of a thriller and drama. It's more about Martin trying to balance the relationships he has, not only to the IRA and the British, but also with his family. This causes for a few pretty good scenes of secret meetings on both sides. But what really stood out to me was his relationship with his girlfriend. This was really was made Martin human and likable, and kept me in the movie.

So it turns out that I kinda liked Fifty Dead Men Walking. I didn't think it was great, but it was alright. This kind of political drama film is clearly not my cup of tea, but I'm happy to report that I was never bored during this one. If you're interested in this subject matter, this is probably a must watch for you, especially as it seemed to give a really good impression of what it was like in Ireland in those times.