The Devil's Own | | Cast : | Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt | | Director : | Alan J. Pakula | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | March 26, 1997 | | DVD Released Date : | May 22, 2001 | | Language : | French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 28, 2005 | | Summary | I am Oirish and I thought it was quite good.... | Content
 | OK, so I'll admit that Brad Pitt's accent is not perfect and there's no way any IRA man would be that pretty (imagine if Brad Pitt looked like Gerry Adams - I doubt he would get as many roles). But the accent is actually not that bad, and Belfast people do actually say "foks sake" quite frequently.
I agree there are some dubious moments in the plot and that the action scenes are a little far fetched, but hey, this is Hollywood, and there is enough of a "gritty realism" feel imparted elsewhere to distract the viewer from these minor inconsistencies.
Harrison Ford plays the same character he played in Patriot Games / Air Force 1 / The Fugitive, which is fine by me since I enjoyed all those movies and I am a big Harrison fan.
I didn't find the plot partucularly confusing (it's pretty straightforward really). And although I certainly wouldn't venture to say that the script delivers chapter and verse on the hellishly complicated political situation in N. Ireland, it does at least go some way to explaining the mechanisms (personal revenge, indoctrination) that drive the cycle of violence there.
And the bittersweet ending has the desired effect.
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| Rating | | | Date | March 30, 2005 | | Summary | A biassed image of the Irish struggle for freedom | Content
| Ireland and the Irish have always been a mystery and this film looks at the fight for independence in Northern Ireland from both a sympathetic and hostile point of view. It sends a mixed message. On one hand it shows how the IRA is motivated into fighting by the atrocities they have lived for several centuries : rejection, assassinations, segregation, even apartheid because they are catholic and Irish by origin and roots. It shows the ruthlessness of the British forces, their principle that you do not have to capture opponents but to kill them since they are not fighting for their freedom but are only terrorists, a word that is used haphazardly and that excuses the protestant militias, the British secret services and even the British armed forces and police. On the other hand it is entirely biassed and only show how these IRA people are to be rejected and have to be rejected and tracked by normal people including normal Irishmen, particularly in the US. It is an Irish cop in New York who unknowingly lodges and covers the militant from Ireland with a pack of lies arranged by an Irish judge in New York too. The deal the Irish militant is in New York for gets sour and he has to clean up the plate of the arm-traffickers and smugglers. But then the British secret services and the FBI get into the picture. So the Irish NYPD cop tries to capture the militant himself to avoid his being coldbloodedly slaughtered by the British secret services. Hence the confrontation of the two. The NY cop has a duty, though he understands the motivations of his opponent, his alter ego. The militant has a duty too, and he will have to be killed not to perform it. And what has to happen happens. Though we are told it is not an American story (implied : that ends well) but an Irish ballad (implied : that ends in blood and tears), it is both an Irish ballad ending in blood and tears and an American story because the good ending is also a happy ending but for the British secret services and for the establishment that refuses any armed struggle against oppression and qualifies it as terroristic. Order is thus saved even if some millions of catholic people are still submitted to a century-old oppression by protestant foreigners.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
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| Rating | | | Date | November 05, 2004 | | Summary | FORD AND PITT!?!?! | Content
| Saw it a week ago and must say it is good, but not great, but i give it 5 stars since i am a die hard fan of both actors. Watch Troy and StarWars if you want better movies from these actors. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 15, 2004 | | Summary | THE DEVIL'S OWN | Content
| Alan J. Pakula, the director who has given us such memorable films as KLUTE and MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, helms an atmospheric and brooding story of loyalty, honor, trust and friendship. Brad Pitt stars as Franky McGuire, an IRA member, who saw his father brutally murdered at the dinner table; Franky was only eight years old. As an adult, he continues a fierce mission for freedom and ends up in New York to buy missiles from creepy entrepreneur Treat Williams (coldly efficient in a role-reversal). Arrangements are made for him to room at a NYC cop's pad. The cop is the indefatigable Harrison Ford, whose honor and conscience are tested when his partner (Ruben Blades) cold bloodedly shoots a running target, who had no weapon. Things go wrong for Pitt when Ford's wife is almost killed when they interrupt a bunch of thugs looking for something from Pitt. The inevitable showdown is a good one.
Pitt and Ford are very good in their roles, although Pitt's Irish brogue is sometimes a little hard to understand. Margaret Colin as Ford's wife is good, but is given little to do in the movie. However, Natasha McElhone is wonderful as Pitt's girl friend, bringing a sensitive strength to her role as Megan.
Pitt's plight is tragic, and Ford's knowledge of this makes for the emotional struggle by the film's end.
A good, but not easy, film. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 22, 2004 | | Summary | If You Aren't Confused, You Don't Know What's Going On | Content
| Francis 'Frankie' McGuire (Brad Pitt) is one of the most wanted IRA terrorists in Belfast, Ireland. He is wanted for the murder of several police officers and army soldiers, among others. But now his group is raising the stakes. They are no longer going to waste their time with guns - they are going for missiles. So Frankie heads to New York City under the alias Rory Devaney. An Irish judge sets him up to live with the O'Meara family, headed by Sergaent Tom O'Meara (Harrison Ford), one of New York's finest. As Frankie works to overhaul a boat and deal with the slimy arms dealer, Billy Burke (Treat Williams), he finds himself growing attached to the O'Meara family and wishing that he had the opportunity to lead such a life. When Billy Burke sends men to the O'Meara house looking for his money, Frankie knows that it is time to go before he ends up harming the family who made him a part of their home for a short time. But once Tom O'Meara discovers Frankie's real identity, he isn't about to let him go... I will be the first to admit that I didn't understand everything that was going on in the plot, but Brad Pitt's character said that "If you aren't confused [about the situation in Ireland], you don't know what is going on," and I found that to be pretty true for the whole story line. In fact, it was more of a slice of life and time passing than a story with an actual beginning and end. Aside from the plot, the movie really shines with the superb acting in the film. I truly cared for these characters, even though one of them was a terrorist shown killing several men. Harrison Ford was excellent as a cop who had to live with slightly tarnished honor to cover for his friend and he did a fine job portraying his character's inner struggle as he tried to decide what to do with Frankie. Brad Pitt was gorgeous, as usual, and I thought that his Irish accent was quite charming. Of course, I don't really know what a real Irish accent sounds like, but when Brad spoke in a soft, melodic ripple of sound, it convinced me. The supporting characters were also great, led by Margaret Colin, who played Sheila O'Meara, Harrison Ford's wife and his 'daughters' including Julia Stiles as Bridget, a snotty, always on the phone teenager who refused to admit she had a crush on Frankie, Ashley Carin as Morgan, who fell head over heels for Frankie and the charming Kelly Singer as Annie, who is the youngest and had the most interaction with the main characters. One of the best things about the film was the music, composed by James Homer. It was just beautiful and had a wonderful Irish feel to it to help draw you in. There is also a heartbreakingly beautiful song written and performed by Melissa Etheridge during the closing credits. I have to admit that the ending wasn't what I wanted it to be, but there really was no way to end this movie in a way that made it a happy "American" ending. As the movie ends, Frankie reminds us that it is an Irish story, not an American one - only American stories always have happy endings. All in all, the movie may be a bit muddled and perhaps could have been improved and cleared up, but I still think that this is a movie worth watching - especially if you are a fan of either of the leads. |
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