Bloody Sunday (2002)

Review about a film: Bloody Sunday

Sunday, the 30th of January 1972 is gone into the history as \'Bloody Sunday\'. It found place in the Catholic district of Derry in Northern Ireland. On that day British soldiers shot 13 Irish demonstrators dead, who were holding an illegal protest march for peace and equal rights between Catholics and Protestants. The bloody outcome is credited for decades long civil war between the Irish and the British men. The movie \'Bloody Sunday\' gives a realistic portrait of the events, which found place in 1972. You are looking through the eyes of the Irish people and the British army.

Five characters represent the major forces of the day. Member of parliament, human rights activist and Protestant Ivan Cooper (James Nesbitt) is the organizer of the march.The seventeen-year-old Catholic boy Gerry Donaghy (Declan Duddly), just out jail and torn between protesting and staying out of trouble.The radioman whose shock and disgust with his fellow soldiers is pitted against his loyalty to the unit Soldier 027 (Mike Edwards). The dutiful but sympathetically human Brigadier, Patrick MacLellan (Nicholas Farell).The unbending imperialist with the order to end the unrest, Major GeneralFord (Tim Pigott-Smith). You see how they prepare and go through the march.

Only the moment of the march is unluckily chosen, because the British troops wants to teach the Irish people a lesson after the many attacks on English soldiers. By the presence of the British militaries, disengage some youngsters themselves of the march and start to throw with rocks. Of course react the British men immediately and start to shoot.

This movie takes a turn at correcting this imbalance by recounting what happened on Bloody Sunday in a powerfully realistic half-drama, half-documentary.

The British militaries were interrogated after \'Bloody Sunday\', but didn\'t get any sanction. They told that they were under fire of the IRA and that also the demonstrators shot. After appearing of the movie was the investigation re-opened.

What also strikes is that the director sometimes a subjective portrait of the disturbance gives. The British men were certainly not all evil and the demonstrators weren\'t all honest angels.

Despite this is the movie very successful and historically valuable. The butt was a peaceful march, but it switched off in a bloody disturbance. \'Bloody Sunday\' will be never forgot.