VERONICA GUERIN

REVIEWED BY JAVIER ALDABALDE GADEA

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: foul language, violence

Rated:

Veronica Guerin has been much overlooked by regular movie-goers, but it's undoubtedly a compelling and forceful interpretation of the life of a unique woman who died for what she thought was right. The real-life Veronica Guerin was a well-known Irish journalist whose investigations of the drug lords in Ireland led her into her eventual death. As played by Australian actress Cate Blanchett, she was brave and courageous, as well as a loving mother and wife, but she was also a bit selfish in that her whole family was in danger. In short, she was a human being.

The film shows the gradual changes of Veronica Guerin's life as she transforms from an average reporter to a risky journalist whose only goal is to see Ireland's most powerful drug lords in jail. With the help of John Traynor (Ciarán Hinds), she will try to find these criminals even if it means sacrificing much of her time with her family. Eventually, she will get to meet Gerry "The Monk" Hutch (Alan Devine), and the most influential of all, John Gilligan (Gerard McSorley). In addition, she will have to face her own demons of fearing her family is in danger. It is too late to step back.

Joel Schumacher's filmography includes some truly awful titles, such as one of the latest Batman sequels, but in 2003 the director turns the tide. Following the filming of Phone Booth, a mostly successful thriller starring Colin Farrell, Schumacher moves on to direct this film, which chronicles the life of Veronica Guerin. The movie is not about her investigation; it is about Veronica herself, and at that it succeeds admirably. The script is effective and the experience turns out to be very impressive (the film never drags and moves fast). The epilogue is an unnecessary ending to the story and gives the film a documentary feeling to it that is not present in the proceedings but it's not a fatal mistake.

However, the true heart of the film lies in Cate Blanchett. This wonderful Aussie actress transforms Guerin into a fully sympathetic, albeit flawed, three-dimensional individual, and she explores the very depths of Veronica's soul as no other film star could possibly do. This isn't merely an Oscar-worthy performance; this is one of the very best portrayals of the year, and Blanchett deserves recognition for it. Gerard McSorley is genuinely intimidating as Gilligan, and the scene in which he confronts Guerin is extremely shocking and effective. Ciarán Hinds is very good as Traynor, the movie's most complex villain, and Brenda Fricker gets to play Veronica's loving mother.

Theree's plenty of violence to be found in Veronica Guerin, but it's understandable given the nature of the film. Veronica receives a shot in the leg, a rough beating in the hands of Gilligan, and finally her own death. These scenes alone are worth the rating, but there's yet another issue to consider -- language. With tons of f-words flying around, there's obviously a sense that Schumacher isn't intimidated by this vocabulary. It's worth mentioning, however, that these words are mainly used by the criminals, but they are there nonetheless. Also present are at least a dozen abuses of Jesus' name, along with other profanities. 

Schumacher effectively handles the production, and this, combined with Blanchett's tour-de-force performance, is the reason why Veronica Guerin is such a success. It is a story worth telling, and, fortunately, it's a story well told. The fact that this film has had mediocre reviews and poor commercial success shouldn't stand in your way when it comes to watching it. This is a film which shows you the life of a person who died for an ideal, and it will stay with you long after the end credits roll.

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