I was in a cafe 250 miles from Dublin in June 1996. A stranger came in and stood motionless in the centre of the floor.She said " they shot the journalist Veronica Guerin. " In the scary stillness that ensued someone reached for the radio......
Since then, there has been regular radio, press and television coverage of the event; Guerin's legend has grown stealthily and now - seven years down the line - the much-vaunted movie version of her life finally appears.
Cate Blanchett is excellent as Veronica Guerin, capturing the ever-present personality ,the endless hustling & danger a journalist gets involved with to procure a good story. You can almost smell the "bad breath" of the detritus she mixes with.
Gerard McSorley as evil drug dealer-cum-superficially-successful-business-man John Gilligan sends chills down the spine of all he encounters, all the while living the superfluous lifestyle enjoyed by the criminals & their wives & families.
The mental terror endured by Veronica as Gilligan threatens her son is as excruciating as the physical pain inflicted on her when she confronts him: the scene where Guerin drives out to Gilligan's estate to interview him is particularly brutal and something not forgotten quickly.
The Jekyll & Hyde relationship between Veronica & the criminal John Traynor (played effectively by Ciaran Hinds) reveals that while Veronica was a hard-nosed journalist( she could easily have chosen a different career)she was equally an aesthetically-minded mother & wife.
The many familiar Irish actors enhance the authenticity of the film with the steet scenes & lifestyle in & around Dublin showing the dilligent research & casting that went into the making of the film. There is no attempt to play down the filth and squalor that was a daily hell for the inhabitants of the Ballymun estate, who were the worst affected as a result of the organised crime in the area. Veronica's hatred for the likes of Gilligan is never in any doubt, and while she eventually paid the ultimate price, she truly DID change things as legislation was changed rapidly after her demise to outlaw the leaders of the crime syndicates in the Dublin area and strip them of their assets.
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Numerous familiar faces such as Brenda Fricker (Guerin's mother) and Niall Tobin appear and do their usual consummate jobs, although I would take issue with the portrayal of Tony Gregory, the independent Dublin TD, who is seen as obstinate, short-sighted and a thorn in Guerin's side for the most part, whereas in reality he has long been a driving force for change and opposition to the horrific heroin culture that threatened to tear Dublin apart for many years.
Still, this is only a minor blemish in a movie which does a good job to remain faithful when it could have easily been economical with the truth. Joel Schumacher obtains fine performances from the cast, keeps the action moving and does well to cram a complex story into a gripping hour and a half. Recommended.
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