Reviewed: '71

Director: Yan Demange

Genre: Action / Drama

Set in 1971 during the troubles in Northern Ireland. Private Hook a young British soldier is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the back streets of the Falls Road area which divided the Protestant and Catholic communities. Knowing that he will face certain death if he is caught by the IRA gunman, he desperately sets out to find his way back to the safety of the camp.

Jack O’Connell plays Private Gary Hook recently posted to Belfast to keep the peace along with a brigade of equally young and inexperienced squaddies. No sooner have they arrived and they are sent on their first mission into the heart of the troubles to round up some Republican suspects for questioning.

The soldiers arrive in armoured vehicles and are soon joined by the local police who start to use extreme methods interrogating the suspects and an angry crowd gathers in the streets. It’s not long before fighting breaks out and the new young Lieutenant Armitage (Sam Reid) fresh from Sandhurst, panics and orders a retreat leaving Hook and a colleague to the mercy of the mob. A Republican gunman fights his way through the crowd to get closer to the captive soldiers and executes one of the men on the spot. His actions are immediately condemned by one of the  local women who scolds the gunman and Hook sees this as his chance to break free and flees for his life through the claustrophobic alleyways of the housing estates.

What happens next is thrilling chase story worthy of a high budget Hollywood movie such as Behind Enemy Lines (2001), Southern Comfort (1981) and The Warriors (1979). Hook not only has to outrun and outwit the Irish extremists but he is unaware that a group of undercover British officers are also out to make sure that he never makes it back to the barracks as he may have witnessed a transaction with the locals that could jeopardise there undercover operations.

In amongst this living nightmare there is a touching moment when Hook is discovered by a cocky protestant boy  who says he can take him back to base but can Hook trust him?

This is a Film 4 production and at ninety nine minutes could quite easily have been a two part TV drama. Jack O’Connell is superb as the young northern grunt out of his comfort zone and there is a good support cast with Sean Harris (Prometheus 2012, Deliver Us From Evil 2014) playing the cold and sinister officer Browning, in charge of the undercover team and fellow Irish actors Richard Dormer (the immortal Beric Dondarrion from Game of Thrones) who helps the wounded soldier against his own better judgement as a good Republican and David Wilmot  (the ruthless but philosophical killer opposite Brendan Gleason’s police sergeant in The Guard 2011) as IRA officer Boyle. Director Yan Demange and writer Greg Burke really capture the feel of the 70’s era and cinematographer Tat Radcliffe creates  that wishy-washy 70’s newsreel look that I remember all too well.

I gave the film Four out of Five stars as I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Yet another edge of the seat experience.

In UK cinemas October 10

Certificate 15

Footnote:

I’m guessing that the name Hook is a nod to the famous Private Hook, one of the 137 Royal Engineers who won a VC at Rorke's Drift in Africa back in 1879. Private Hook played by James Booth in the 1964 epic ZULU.  One to see on DVD on a rainy afternoon.