Bloody Sunday (2002)

writ. & dir. Paul Greengrass
feat. James Nesbitt, Allan Gildea, Gerard Crossan, Mary Moulds, Carmel McCallion, Tim Pigott-Smith, Nicholas Farrell

Greengrass delivers an intense account of that pivotal Sunday in the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Using his now trademark documentary style camera work, hand-held and constantly on the move, he handily captures the chaos and confusion of a mob scene and sudden military assault, keeping the film racing and breathless. In quieter moments, the camera flits anxiously, while also settling for needed moments of focus (something lost in the last Bourne film), the risk of the day's intended peaceful protest apparent to those pushing the plan forward.

Greengrass adds to the verisimilitude by using almost entirely non-professional actors from the area, some of them relatives of participants in the actual day back in '72. The chief exception, Nesbitt, performs stunningly as Ivan Cooper, the politician leading the protest, harried and well-meaning, knowing that he must proceed with the march despite the chance for violence. Through him, the frustration of the cause is brilliantly illustrated, in desperate attempts to calm both a violent crowd packed with stone-throwing boys and soldiers with itchy trigger fingers, eager to put down the protest once and for all. His devotion and failure portray a heroic character who is not a hero, the ideal leader (and film lead).