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The Devil's Own | Year: 1997 Classification: Thriller Directed: - Alan J.Pakula - Alan J. Pakula Actors/Actresses: - Harrison Ford - Brad Pitt - Julia Stiles - Ruben Blades - Margaret Colin - Treat Williams Very good, poignant. I saw this film in the theatres and liked it well enough. Seeing it again on DVD really helped my comprehension of it. I thought the story was told well. The filmmakers showed the contrast between the sad bitterness and violence that Brad Pitt's character endures (and embraces), and the warm loving home that Harrison Ford opens to him. We the viewers sympathise with Pitt's character, even though we know -- he's gone too far. Where can he go when he's already gone too far? The story was well-told, the acting well-done. I am no expert on Irish accents, but I wasn't overly bothered with Brad Pitt's. I thought he did a fine job, in both his acting and his accent. Harrison Ford, as usual, gives an excellent performance. I wished I could have seen more scenes with Margaret Colin (who plays Ford's wife) because she's always good. Treat Williams did a fine job as a menacing arms dealer. Special kudos go out to James Horner for the musical score. The first time I saw this film, I was so impressed by the music so I trotted out and bought the CD soundtrack; it's been one of my favorites ever since. Horner isn't always my #1 favorite film composer (but he's usually fine) but this beautiful Irish-themed score is something special. It supports the film admirably (which is the whole purpose of soundtrack scores) but is heart-wrenchingly exquisite to listen to on its own. I recommend this film. Perhaps it has a few flaws, but I really enjoyed it (and was moved by it) the second time around. A BLOOPER THAT FORD PITT WOULD LIKE TO GET PAST.. Apart from the notoriously grating Ulster accent that Brad Pitt adopted for this movie, there are several things that drag the movie down. A plot would have been nice for instance. Harrison Ford's character turns out in the end of have been totally skippable, perhaps something written only to inflate his screen time as the 20-million-per-film star. There's a whole dog and pony show with him questioning his own police career after a sour NYC cop incident, etc etc, but it's hard to see how this really made the tiniest dent in the story. Brad Pitt can't get over his typical I'm-so-suave look that appeals to the middle aged ladies of the world. Simply scrambling your vowel sounds and saying "fook's seek" frequently doesn;t quite make you sound, what,Oirish! It does make you painfully insufferable though. Thirdly, even more laughable than the accents are the action scenes, which are so poorly choreographed and edited, it's hard to believe the film is a Hollywood product. First there is Sean and Frankie's shootout with "half the fookin' army," which they predictably win -- with a shotgun. Then they escape because the British forget to watch the back door. Hmm. Then, there is the mysterious appearance of a vast forest in the middle of downtown Belfast, into which IRA terrorists can conveniently ease into when cornered. Next there is the shootout with Billy Burke, in which Frankie somehow manages to fire three rounds from a double-barrelled shotgun (taking out a sniper who, oddly enough, falls forward from the impact of a shot in the chest), retrieves his pistol and fires the same shot twice--hitting Billy Burke, who for some reason counted to ten before lunging for his own gun. Long and short of it, this is a passable movie you could consider renting, but keep your expectations low. Nothing you'd be seen talking about I am sure. If You Aren't Confused, You Don't Know What's Going On 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 - o Buy The Devil's Own at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Devil's Own Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Devil's Own This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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