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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 - only American stories always have happy endings. All in all, the movie may be a bit muddled and perhaps could have been improved and cleared up, but I still think that this is a movie worth watching - especially if you are a fan of either of the leads.

More than an Irish Tragedy

The sad backdrop to this mostly well done movie is Ireland- a nation still divided by a history of strife. What makes it so intrinsically sad is the fruitless blood letting that had gone on for so many centuries. Maybe its the curse of CROMWELL or the tortured landscape that makes up this beleaguered isle. Its anybody's guess but it really is NO different than many other parts of this planet. Witness the current ravages of war in Sudan, Iraq or the Middle East as an entity. Then of course we can't forget Kosovo and other recent happenings of diabolical reprisal in other parts of Africa or southeast Asia. Be that as it may, the story was totally "unsettling" and beyond "tragic". But then of course we are the only animal creation who have an unending history of destroying our own specie. One need only ask the question- "why didn't God end creation on the 5th day?" This movie offers no glimpse of an answer.

Not As Bad As You've Been Told

THE DEVIL'S OWN was as doomed as doomed can be right from the start when you think about it - Ford's unhappiness with his largely supportive role that led to supposedly harmful script changes, Pitt's unhappiness with the entire project and his constant threats to quit, Ford's belief that Pitt was being unprofessional about the whole matter and their subsequent, semi-legendary clashes. By the time the movie was finally finished, most critics and movie-goers, having spent months reading about the problems with the movie and how everyone involved with the movie was unhappy with it, already decided the movie must not be that good.

Is it good? It's okay. It's certainly not as horrible as you may have been led to believe, although there is a great deal that's wrong with it. Start with Pitt and Ford, who each turn in fairly lazy performances with the fairly stereotypical characters they're handed (Pitt, the war-torn IRA assassin, and Ford, the all-American family man and good guy cop... yawn). The folks who complain about the portrayal of the Irish and the IRA have a decent point, but you do have to realize this is a Hollywood movie, not a documentary. THE DEVIL'S OWN is more believable, more realistic, and more sensitive than other contemporary "terrorist" movies, like, say, THE SIEGE. Of course, there's Pitt's wildly unbelievable accent, which is more than horrible - it's actually distracting. The dialogue is pretty great, but that doesn't matter when all you can think about is how horrible he sounds. It's bad. Finally, there's the flat, anti-climatic ending, which leaves you with the feeling that the scriptwriter grew tired of the whole thing and just... stopped. The dialogue in the final scene is especially inane and disappointing. How they managed to make such a potentially emotional scene so dull and flat is just beyond me. They just could have done so much more with it.

Really, they could have done so much more with the entire movie. In my opinion, this movie was doomed when they tried to force two big name stars into extremely uncomfortable roles. In Ford's case, it's a supportive role that he subsequently underplayed. In Pitt's case, well... I'm sorry, it's the accent. The movie really needed a more convincing actor for Pitt's role and a more durable, blue collar guy for Ford's part. That, and a more fulfilling ending. Still, the dialogue is fantastic at times and the story moves along at a pretty good clip, so THE DEVIL'S OWN is entertaining enough - enough to leave you wondering how good the movie COULD have been. THREE AND A HALF STARS.

Offensive In The Extreme

THE DEVIL'S OWN is an extreme film . Extremely bad that is , and also extremely offensive to anyone to have known the sorrow of the " Troubles " . I'm still trying to work out what the most unlikely bit of the film is , the British MI6 agent who's the baddie or the battle scene at the start of the film . I'll go for the battle scene that leaves several Brits and IRA men dead . I was going to type terrorists instead of IRA men but THE DEVIL'S OWN doesn't really consider the IRA to be terrorists , more like feisty freedom fighters who like to take on the fascist British Army in a toe to toe battle that resembles the battle of Mogadishu. Well if you can be bothered to look up the death toll for September 1992 you'll find that a total of 8 people ( That's eight real people - not Hollywood extras ) died in the troubles that month , all civilians . There's also something disgusting about the fact that we see hunky Brad Pitt - Who cannot do an oirish accent at all - playing another IRA man . Why do Hollywood movies always cast a hunk like Sean Bean or Richard Gere as an IRA man ?If you're confused by my disgust at THE DEVIL'S OWN well imagine this : A film starring hunky George Clooney as a freedom fighter for Al Quida who's on a mission to buy stinger missiles to shoot down American helicopters in Afghanistan and it's up to a murderous agent from the fascist CIA to stop him by liquidating the gallant freedom fighter . Do you think Hollywood would produce something like that ? I rest my case

Not as bad as some would have you believe.

A lot of commentators have criticised this film for not being an accurate portrayal of the situation and/or intricacies of the situation in Northern Ireland. I'm no expert and it goes without saying that this is probably the case; but that's not the point of this film and I don't think the director was really trying to say too much about it.The film is about the two main characters played by Pitt and Ford, both introduced in black and white and both of whose lifetime ideals and principles are challenged and blurred by their experiences through the film.We have Pitt, the hardened terrorist whose own father was murdered in front of him when he was a child, who's known nothing but hatred and a distrust of authority through his life and who's suddenly immersed into an alien environment of stability, family and a cop who he sees is both a pretty normal, hardworking and good guy. In this different environment he realises that there's more to life then what he's known and Ford becomes to him something of a father figure.At the same time, Ford a principled, honest as the day is long cop finds himself having to compromise his own integrity in the name of friendship and loyalty to a colleague as he realises life isn't quite so black and white as he's always lived it and struggles to deal with his own indiscretion.Consequently as he finds out more about Pitt he struggles to juggle his professional and personal judgement as he finds a degree of sympathy towards Pitt trying to understand his background and the inevitability of his circumstances. Naturally the two come to a head and in this regard the film is pretty good despite any shortcomings with regards to the accuracy of the Northern Ireland situation.Some of the film certainly appears a little far fetched in places and I'd suspect that it's not so easy to purchase a batch of Stinger missiles from the local small time mobster while the fate of Pitt's sidekick seemed little more than pointless. Sure this might not be award winning stuff, but I don't know why Pitt disowned this film and hope it wasn't done out of political correctness or being overly-sensitive to criticism (I'll settle for death threats).Enjoyable and entertaining thriller/action film that doesn't over do the action.

The Devil's Own

The movie rates with one of my favorites... dim the lights, lean back and enjoy this well made film. The soundtrack, the acting, and the story line mesh together to make a true believable story that is an enjoyable and emotional experience. And to those who commented that it certain things didnt make sense...you didnt pay attention.

A romanticised view of a merciless foe

What is it with American-Irish? Some of their richest and most respectable members have poured millions of Dollars into the IRA, harboured some of their members, idealised the notion of a "fight for freedom". Believe me, as a Scot, with William Wallace et al I've always had a certain affinity for heroes. But the IRA are no heroes. They've become Northern Ireland's drug-dealers, extortioners, gangsters. The people of Ireland as whole have had enough of them and their way of terrorising innocent people. May it be the IRA or the UDP, the notion of a Catholic V Protestant jihad has long ago turned into a simple cycle of self-perpetuating violence. These men and women are no longer anything resembling the oh-so glorious Michael Collins, they are terrorists who don't know when to quit and never knew anything but how to fight. These men aren't the Brad Pitts of the world, nor is the British Army an oppressor anymore (considering that over 90% of the locals support the Army, simply because it provides protection). Yet in 1997 we still got the great toss of this movie, showing us how brave Irishmen fight against an onslaught of British stormtroopers and evil S(I)S men. Somehow it seems that America is hell-bent on keeping up the idea of the stiff upper-lip English villain. May it be The Devil's Own, Braveheart, U-571 or most recently The Patriot, Hollywood seems bent on demonising the US' closest ally, both politically and culturally. I may not be a great fan of the English, but even I know what harm stereotypes can do. Perhaps the writer should have gone out to the streets of Belfast and asked ordinary people what they think of the IRA. Perhaps the writer should have also approached a soldier and asked him what it's like to occupy Northern Ireland. Somehow, I have severe doubts that a movie about the post-WW2 SS-"Werwölfe" guerillas would be quite so romanticised.And this movie has a Riverdance sequence. Oh please....

What's the Point? Does This Reveal, Incite, Question?

The Devil's OwnWhat's the Point? Does This Reveal, Incite, Question?Alan J. Pakula makes films with strong, sometimes sensational, social content--Nazi cruelty, Irish nationalism, corruption, conspiracy. He doesn't always pull off a masterpiece of "cinema" in all those usual ways, but they rarely lack for interest, or at least scenes of interest.The Devil's Own is in some ways typical. If Parallax View and Klute have a larger following, and Sophie's Choice the weight of a great novel behind it, it shares with them all an occupation, possibly a preoccupation, with plot, and the meaning behind the plot.Gordon Willis is a great cinematographer, responsible for some of Woody Allen's best films. And he is pressed into service, and makes the fighting and the lulls (there are both) both dramatic and beautiful. But to what end? I found it actually dull after awhile, and I know it isn't because of sympathy or lack of sympathy, because I have both. It's still a movie, and has to survive even in different contexts, regardless of persuasion. And this particular movie also become thankfully historical--the paramilitary violence and brutality, hopefully exaggerated for the film because it sometimes seems really chaotic and endless--so has lost a little of its edginess. The conflict in Northern Ireland really is far less destructive than it was, and less a tinderbox.Harrison Ford? Brad Pitt? Well, these seems odd choices for what is a terribly gutwrenching Irish topic. It's action-adventure, and it clunks along. Far from worthless, the movie has less force behind it than it should.

Good, but could have been better.

Brad Pitt & Harrison Ford both star in this story of an IRA terrorist (Pitt) who hides out in NYC. A NYC cop (Ford), unknowingly puts him up. The consequences are not what he bargained for. The filming of this movie supposedly was full of tension, with Ford & Pitt having different ideas of how it should be played. That and the fact that it was written with very little finished script makes for less than the sum of the parts.

It's an Ammurkan film not an Oirish one.

In this, perhaps the worst film ever about Northern Ireland, we see the true arrogance of the Hollywood film machine. They take one of the world's political hotspots as background, twist the situation in a ridiculous and inflammatory way, and then market this bilge in the sure knowledge that the American public is too stupid to know better and that foreigners are either star-struck morons or will just have to lump it. The preposterous action sequences alone should have been enough reason for the execs to get out of their hot tubs long enough to cancel this project but perhaps that would have messed up their hair. This is a film that leaves no cliche unturned in its fevered depiction of Oirland including the reluctant but noble urban terrorists, the lovely redheaded Colleens that love them, and the annoying pipe music that follows them everywhere: it's a sap's paradise.

I really liked it when I watched it second time

I watched this movie twice. First time right after it was released - did not like it. The commercial was disorienting. I thought Ford was running too much for no reason, etc. Then, I watched it again on DVD recently and now I really liked it. I disagree with those who believes that this movie romanticizes, well, IRA, etc. I think it is very tragic to be in the position of the character played by Pitt and the movie show it very well from the first minute (at least to me, after watching it second time). And this is a very emotional movie if you (are able to) catch this mood. Pitt truly shines there - ``madly photogenic performance'' as some say. The movie reminds me ``Perfect storm'' - in some sense - I refer to the look in Clooney's eyes while he is under water in one of the final scenes- just the same mood for the entire movie.

Naive and insensitive

A naive and one sided view of a complex and sensitive problem in Northern Ireland. It is made by someone on the other side of the atlantic who clearly has no real knowledge of the reality of the situation and is sympathetic to the IRA. The truth is, both sides have killed and injured too many people in the last 30 years and it is totally insensitive to release a film which attempts to justify Pitt's IRA characters motives because his family was killed by "evil" loyalists. The peace settlement is something everyone in Britain and Ireland wants and films like this show little understanding and I urge people not to watch it.

Thriller With Northern Ireland Backdrop

I'm sure that many viewers will point out with venim that the film was inaccurate with regard to the conflict in Northern Ireland, as well as Brad's accent, which, personally, I thought he had put some work into.The film is basically a thriller using the N.I conflicts as a backdrop to generate the pathos for the film; so anyone watching it to see an angle on the troubles will be disappoiinted.However it gave Pitt a chance to show off his ability to be directed and follow staged fight scenes. He was his usual brilliant self at emotional expression.The purpose of his journey to The States was almost glossed over with the film relying on the first few scenes to show why he had such a vengful purpose.The title of the film is fairly misleading, as it serves only as an extra tag line. This is NOT a deep or meaningful film in any way, nor does it contain much accurate historical fact. The 'morphing' of the young boy after seeing a close family member being shot was a little hurried, but served to get you into the rhythm of the film. As there were very few people actually hunting or chasing him on screen except for Ford, his worth for information/intelligence as far as those around him were concerned was almost nil.... but his intentions were far more sinister.Maybe the point of the film was to demonstrate that to win the cause closest to your heart or carry out duty through conscience or revenge, you may have to kill the person who gets in your way. Either way the wasting of a life comes down to the same thing no matter how it's done.I realise that it must have been a rather insulting film to those close to the troubles, in terms of trivialisation and attitude, but to repeat my earlier comment, the title of the film was a little misleading, and it may have given rise to higher expectations.However Pitt's accent wasn't that bad, and his mannerisms were clearly worked on, and all in all the film was entertaining.At least the film allowed you to reach your own conclusion at the end, and didn't particularly force any political points on the viewer.

Inaccurate

This film is just a second-rate thriller which uses Northern Ireland as a convenient backdrop to add colour. Unfortunately, the portrayal of Belfast and the terrorists and intelligence community is stereotypical, romanticised and hugely inaccurate. The gun battle at the beginning is just ludicrous and from then on the film becomes a showcase for nauseating Irish-American 'culture,' all blarney and dreaming of the 'oul country. The acting doesn't help as Ford sleepwalks and Pitt can't maintain the accent. It is possible to make good thrillers set in Northern Ireland which do not dodge the politics and have sensitivity, but none of them have been made by US production companies. 'Harry's Game' is by far the best example, devastatingly accurate closely followed by 'The Children of The North' and the black comedy 'Divorcing Jack' more recently. See these and give this Hollywood rubbish a miss.

I thought a pretty good thriller

when i saw this film i wasn't sure what to say. first i am not Irish and i don't know exactly whats going on in northern ireland, but i thought the film was a pretty good thriller. first you have your normal plot of a guy, that comes to America to get guns but gets attach to the American family and then twists. i thought almost Brad Pitt gave a great performance and that the movie had a very basic storyline, easy to follow and i think people should watch this film if they are looking for a good thriller not anything political or amazing. Harrison Ford gives us one of his trademark performances. i think this film had a lot of problems making so it was pretty good for the problems

A waste of time!

The Devil's Own is not a good movie. Harrison Ford had the worst acting in this movie. When I first heard about it my friend told me about this movie and I saw the theatrical release to it and it looked awesome. Right after I saw it in the theater I thought it was the slowest movie ever made. If some of ya'll never seen it don't even bother renting it or buying it you will not like it at all it's the worst movie I have ever seen.

Enjoyable Enough Film, With An Above Average Story, And Fantastic Performances, However Brad Pitt's Irish Accent Is God Awful!

This is an enjoyable enough film, with an above average story, and fantastic performances, however Brad Pitt's Irish accent is god awful!. All the characters are good, and it has some good emotional moments as well, plus Harrison Ford is simply amazing in this!, and Brad Pitt is fantastic!(except for the accent). It has some very good action scenes, and Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, had pretty good chemistry together too, plus the ending was quite good and somewhat emotional. While it's a good film it could have been a lot better, however it is quite tense at times, and i enjoyed it for what it is, plus it had a great cast as well!. Apparently Ford and Brad Pitt, didn't get along well on the set, they could have fooled me, cause they seemed comfortable with each other, and had great chemistry together, plus Natascha McElhone was especially excellent in her role here!. The character development was good, and all the characters were likable, plus the finale was good. This is an enjoyable enough film, with an above average story and fantastic performances, however Brad Pitt's Irish accent is god awful!, well worth the watch!. The Direction is good. Alan J. Pakula does a good job here, with cool camera work, great angles, and he kept the film at a fast pace. The Acting is fantastic!. Harrison Ford is amazing as always, and is amazing here, he is extremely likable, fantastic in the acting department, had a really cool character, had great chemistry with Pitt, had some great emotional scenes, and as always was very intense, he was amazing!. (Ford Rules!!!!!!). Brad Pitt is fantastic here,and the only flaw he had was that god awful Irish accent, he had a cool character, had great chemistry with Ford, and i felt sorry for his character, he was fantastic! (Pitt Rules!). Rubén Blades is okay but i'm not a huge fan of his, and he didn't have much to do as Ford's partner. Natascha McElhone is beautiful and did excellent with what she had to do i loved her. Mitch Ryan is wasted here, and does an adequate job at best. Treat Williams is great here, he was quite menacing and did what he had to do well. Julia Stiles( Older Daughter),Kelly Singer(Youngest) Margaret Colin(Wife) all do well. Rest of the cast are fine. Overall well worth the watch!. *** out of 5

'Don't look for a happy ending, Tom. It's not an American story ... it's an Irish one.' <Pitt as Rory>

Yes, 'American' stories usually have a happy ending, I suppose. So, what's the real story here, in 'The Devil's Own?' It isn't the fighting in N. Ireland, because that occupies only a small part of the movie. Nor is it the deal of cash for weapons, because that also occupies a small part of the story. It appears to be the relationship between Tom (Harrison Ford), the 55-yr-old NY cop, a 'by-the-book' cop, and this young visitor Rory (Brad Pitt) from Ireland, placed there through a request from an Irish-American judge. What makes this movie worth watching are the performances by Ford and Pitt. In spite of reports that both of them were disappointed with the movie itself, and Pitt wanted out, both of them deliver fine performances, proving once again why both are among the best working actors. The DVD, borrowed from my local public library, has a fine picture and Dolby 5.1 sound, but no extras save the trailer.SPOILERS follow, please read no further. Rory's father was gunned down at the family dinner table when he was only 8. For revenge he became an IRA fighter, wanted for murder of cops and military men, he flees to the USA with his fake name, the judge gives him millions in cash for a weapons deal, he lives in the basement of the cop's home, becomes a part of their family, bad guys break in looking for the money, Tom finds out who Rory really is, handcuffs him, bringing him for booking, traffic jam, escapes, shoots Tom's partner, goes into hiding, money locked in trunk, gets weapons anyway while killing his nemeses, loads fishing boat intending to sail to Ireland, Tom finds him, tries to arrest him again, they both shoot, Tom is wounded, Rory is mortally wounded, dies on boat, movie ends as boat makes a u-turn in bay.

A weak and disappointing film.

This was a boring and disappointing film. When I saw the theatrical trailer prior to its release into theatres, it obviously looked like a dynamic and exciting movie with a lot of action, like "Patriot Games." But when I saw it two months later in the theatre, there was almost no action at all (that involves Harrison Ford). If the theatrical trailer had shown that this is a movie with a story, I would have viewed this film with less disappointment.

The worst movie of 1997

Harrison Ford is given the worst role of his career, and in turn, reciprocates with one of the most lifeless by-the-numbers performances in the last 20 years. This movie has characters that are nothing but lifeless ethnic stereotypes made large, replete with hamfisted "ethnic music" piped in at the appropriate times to remind you that the character being focused on is Irish/Italian/etc.And the dialogue! Good lord! Clumsy, empty, cliche ridden speeches, monologues, and diatribes are the norm here. Is there any IRA ("you'll never understand!") or cop ("You shot a man in the back, Eddie!") that this film dared not explore? If the producers felt compelled to pack this film with so many stupid and hollow characters, couldn't they *at least* have given them something to say? Now I'm not asking for anything profound, but the vapid discourses between these moving mannequins is almost too much for all but the most ignorant i'll-pay-to-see-anything moviegoer to bear.What's more, this film makes the dreadfully common mistake of painting it's good guys in such blindingly friendly tones that they become one dimensional. To wit: Harrison Ford as the "perfect" father, "perfect" cop, etc. etc. The camera loiters on the friendly sibling rivalry in the house (o, how those girls fight over the bathroom! tee hee!) to show just what sort of bliss Ford's character (a cop who never met a big hearted Irish cop cliche he didn't like) lives in. Execrable.Brad Pitt is unspeakably bad as an IRA rogue, and the supporting cast (such as it is) takes the Patty O'Furniture school of bad Irish accents route, and the results are every bit as miserable as the description. By the time this horrible dirge of a movie sets it's moribund plot into motion, you won't care. Why? Because this movie gives you no characters to care about. I made the mistake of seeing this on HBO. You have been warned! Even if you got your money back, there'd still be almost 90 minutes of your life that you could never recover.