'71 (2014)

Genres

History, Thriller

Director

Yann Demange

Country

UK

Cast

Jack O'Connell, Richard Dormer, Charlie Murphy, David Wilmot, Sean Harris, Killian Scott, Sam Reid, Barr Keoghan, Paul Anderson, Jack Lowden, Martin McCann, Babou Ceesay, Corey McKinley, Paul Popplewell

Storyline

Accidentally abandoned on the streets of Belfast in 1971, a young British soldier (Jack O'Connell) must survive the night alone and find his way to safety.

Opinion

I've been meaning to watch '71 for a very long time but always put it off because of its storyline. Eventually Jack O'Connell got the best of me and I finally watched it. Jack O'Connell is the only reason why I don't regret watching it because it's pretty much a mess.

I know very little about Northen Ireland's history so I thought this film would be a great opportunity to learn more, but it just wasn't the case. The storyline, although heavy, was interesting but the execution is terrible. The plot doesn't see to go anywhere, there are too many pointless subplots, it is very confusing and therefore not only I didn't learn anything about the Belfast conflict, I also struggled to understand who was fighting who basically because there are too many characters that looks pretty much all the same. Also, comparing this to other similar films I've seen, I feel like '71 doesn't really show what people were going through back then.

Something I did appreciate was the director's choice to focus on the emotional side of the story and character rather than the action which, by the way, was decent. The hand-held camera was annoying at times, but during the action sequences, it gave more realism to the film. 

At last, there's the only thing truly worth watching this film for, Jack O'Connell's performance. His portrayal of the lost soldier is incredible.