Search

'71 (2014)

thereviewers
May 25, 2015
2 min read

’71 follows a young and disorientated soldier as he attempts to survive on deadly streets of Belfast in 1971, after he is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot.

Overall Review Score

6 out of 10

Review

Directed by Yann Demange and staring Jack O’Connell, as Private Gary Hook, ’71 is a British historical action thriller set during the height of the Catholic and Protestant ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the 70s and 80s. While ’71 encapsulates the harsh realities of Northern Ireland during the period and Jack O’Connell carries the film by delivering a raw, emotional, and physical performance that makes the audience genuinely worry about his survival, it does suffer from some issues. At times the film feels predictable, the action sequences designed to build tension fail to do so and the audience are left with a distinct impression that either the director (Yann Demange) or the writer (Gregory Burke) dislike the British Army – as it is constantly portrayed as ‘gung-ho’ or incompetent for the majority of the film. Stepping back from these issues, ’71 does give the audience a reasonably crafted thriller that blends subtle elements together while avoiding some notable survival clichés. Overall, while ’71 provides an insight into the harsh environment and dangerous streets of Belfast during ‘The Troubles’ (colloquial term for the Catholic / Protestant conflict) its plot suffers from some notable holes and its supporting cast appear uninterested in the situation and show a limited range of emotions – normally delivered in a monotone voice.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 4 out of 10

Comments:

‘71 delivers a take on the Irish troubles, but does not manage to set itself apart from the rest, due to uninteresting characters, a poor story, and a predictable ending. During this film, I became less interested in the characters and more amazed at the rubbish logistical thinking and leadership shown by the British Army. While the movie is set during the Irish conflicts in an attempt to add suspense to Gary's survivial it mostly comes across as an afterthought.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 8 out of 10

Comments:

There is something about this film that I cannot put my finger on – it is both bad and good at the same time. ’71 is a gritty, historical action thriller that operates more like a pseudo-documentary mixed with a survival film. Jack O’Connell does a good job playing a disorientated, emotionally compromised, and worldly inexperienced soldier struggling to survive. However, the rest of the cast put on mediocre performances that distract the audience and cause them to question the storyline, the characters, and the incompetence of the British Army. Overall,’71 had the potential to be a great film but, sadly, it is a film that you will probably watch only once and will easily forget.