Dead Shot

Really good.

This is not a low budget movie and a lot of the money has been spent on getting the griminess of seventies N. Ireland and London right.

The actors look a bit too healthy for that period but overall the production designer has done a grand job and even if you don't like the plot car lovers will have fun spotting all the vintage classics.

The plot is ok - not ludicrous - and the action is excellent.

There are only a handful of recognizable actors and it's nice to see less familiar faces get a look in.

This is like a more realistic the Devils Own and all the better for it.

Lots of quite good reasons to watch this.

When an Irish ex paramilitary (Colin Morgan) witnesses the accidental shooting of his pregnant wife he seeks revenge by looking to kill the soldier responsible (Ami Ameen), however his commander wants more from him first. The soldier meanwhile is due to be charged with the girl's murder but is instead recruited by secretive Mark Strong to seek out IRA members seen as a threat in London.

Dark and gritty thriller full of genuine unpleasantness and indeed unpleasant characters throughout. Whilst the story gives us little that is particular novel, it is well crafted and maintains a solid level of tension with good performances by all with Strong as the tough, get it done whatever the cost leader, the standout.

Charles and Thomas Guard make their second feature film with Dead Shot, but there is quite a nice time in between. Their first film The Uninvited dates back to 2009. So it actually took almost 15 years for the duo to come up with a movie again. This time a film about the IRA and there has been a time when those kinds of films shot out of the ground like mushrooms. For example, there were impressive films such as In the Name of the Father and Some Mothers Son that created rough and realistic images of the wry war between the Irish and the English. But The Devils Own and Blown Away also belonged to those films, but these were films that were a bit lighter and managed to offer more entertainment. Dead Shot actually floats a bit in between, because on the one hand it is a serious film with a fairly heavy subject, but on the other hand it is just an entertaining action movie.

The film is based on the screenplay by Irish writer and screenwriter Ronan Bennett and inspired by the book The Road to Balcombe Street by Steven P. Moysey. The siege of Balcombe Street was an incident involving members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the London Metropolitan Police and lasted from December 6 to 12, 1975. The siege ended with the surrender of the four IRA members and the release of their two hostages. Loosely we see this topic in the story, but really a lot lighter. Henry Tempest is the soldier who shot Michael O'Hara's wife and Michael swears revenge. But Tempest joins the service of someone named Holland, who is steering a team to track down terrorists. Nowhere does the film go into depth on the political reasons of the IRA, this makes the film a simple entertaining thriller, without too much fuss.

It's certainly not the acting because that's just good. The setting is grim and dark and the film definitely has the 70s vibe. The states that are dotted with junk, the gray appearance and the cracked buildings where Jan and everyone lives give a correct picture. But the paranoid that prevails in the streets of London is also well reflected. Especially with the scene where Michael makes a bomb alert to the police, where his comrade is checked by the local police. The bomb goes out too early and a firefight breaks loose. This is really one of the better scenes from the film and also displays a rough picture. The denouement is very strongly done and at least I didn't really see the end coming, that's always a positive thing for me.

Dead Shot has become a great action/thriller, which really grips the 70s vibe. With just under an hour and a half, the pace stays fine in the film and the whole thing is not bored anywhere. In any case, films about the IRA are generally good and exciting, but unfortunately they are not made much anymore. The acting performances are very good and strong. The film does not go into the political motives of the IRA, but the paranoid that prevailed in the streets of London in the 70s is clearly shown. For the rest, it's just enjoying a good action/thriller and the film is highly recommended to set up once.

Firstly, as a movie, this is quite entertaining and they have certainly nailed the 70s vibe with the vehicles and fashions etc.

The action is good and overall, the acting is better than average, making for an enjoyable viewing experience.

The story, whilst nothing new, is delivered well enough that you start to build some empathy for the characters involved. Violence seldom improves a situation and perpetual violence is a difficult cycle to break, particularly when you have a personal motivation.

What I don't understand, particularly given the attention to detail with vehicles etc, is why the main military character is described as "An SAS Officer" in the synopsis.

Firstly, he is wearing Sergeant stripes, so he's an NCO, not an officer. Furthermore, there is no mention at any point of the SAS, unless I somehow missed it.

Overall, a good movie and well worth a watch.

A story within a story of a former IRA member who was trying flee with his pregnant wife but in their escape his wife is accidentally killed by a solider but he now has to rejoin the terror unit in order to carry out acts of terrorism in London to exact revenge on the soldier who kill his wife and unborn child. It was good watch because the premise of the story was terrorism, revenge and counter intelligence all wrapped in two persons. The soldier and the former IRA member. Honestly I never wanted someone to get their comeuppance so bad in a film they way I wanted a terrorist to kill the soldier who killed his pregnant wife. The ending had me feeling a little frustrated until it didn't (no spoilers) A definite recommend of a solid one time watch.