This Is Not a Rebel Movie

The Troubles has long divide Ireland literally, and has a major impact to United Kingdom too. As with ideology and sectarian clashes in most countries, one which rooted way back to the 17th century, it was a clash that leaves a bloody trail for 400 years.

Bloody Sunday (2002) tells a story about one of the blackest moment in the Isles history, where in 1972, 14 people where killed in a clash between the British army and a group of protester in the town of Derry.



The movie start with Ivan Cooper (played by James Nesbitt), a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland busily arranging a peaceful march with the people of Derry, promoting civil right movement. Non-equality between the Protestants and Catholics in the Irish society was one of the reason of The Troubles.

The British army, concerned with the possibility of the IRA riding the march, put out strong tactical army units to guard the march. The movie shows both sides, the army and the march organizer on how to prepare for the occassion.

Sadly, things can't gone more wrong. Tension and hatred run amok to both sides. It was implied that the army was well over-reacted, and being the one with the weapons, it was easily predicted where all the dead ones originated. The movie does a very good job in building up the tension, potraying how it escalates from what supposed to be a peaceful march into its violent ending.

There is also one of the sub-story about how the march was viewed from the viewpoint of a regular person who participate in it. And how his fate after all the chaos.

Paul Greengrass style of handheld camera is the perfect choice for this kind of movie. It was fast paced, and the tension and atmosphere felt real. It was like the audience were in the thick of the action, not watching from outside. James Nesbitt put out a great performance as Cooper. His potrayal of someone who tries to do the right thing, and still to do the right thing even when all around him falls apart, makes an appealing character. In his press conference after the incident, he only said this:

"I just want to say this to the British Government... You know what you've just done, don't you? You've destroyed the civil rights movement, and you've given the IRA the biggest victory it will ever have. All over this city tonight, young men... boys will be joining the IRA, and you will reap a whirlwind."

The movie ends with U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" a piece which aptly composed by them to protest about the violence of The Troubles.

The victims of Bloody Sunday are:
* Jackie Duddy (17).
* Patrick Doherty (31).
* Bernard McGuigan (41).
* Hugh Gilmour (17).
* Kevin McElhinney (17).
* Michael Kelly (17).
* John Young (17).
* William Nash (19).
* Michael McDaid (20).
* James Wray (22).
* Gerald Donaghy (17).
* Gerald McKinney (35).
* William McKinney (26).
* John Johnston (59)

14 people too much.