O Custo da Coragem

Cate Blanchett has done it again - played someone you can't take your eyes off of, and not because she's a classic beauty but she's just a good actress and plays such intense roles. Here, she's the single-minded outraged Irish reporter out to expose the drug trafficking in Ireland in the mid 1990s. Yes, it's based on a real person, a very real Veronica Guerin, who took her life in her hands with her desire to have this problem taken care off so the kids in her country wouldn't have such easy access to harmful drugs.

According to the film story, the drug problem was ignored or the police were just ineffective in dealing with it, so Guerin goes after the mob as an investigative reporter. Her husband pleads with her to stop, knowing she could easily be killed. The gangsters were tough and realistically portrayed on film. There is no talk-now-shoot-later nonsense. You mess with them, you will pay. That's the message they give Guerin and you'll have to see the film to find out what happened.

Yup, this is an attention-getter from the start and especially with Blanchett in the lead. A good story and highly recommended.

The assassination of Dublin crime reporter Veronica Guerin in 1996 shook Ireland to the core, her murder saw a public swell of determination to rid the country of its drug peddlers. Joel Schumacher's film is an in depth interpretation of the woman, her beliefs, her family life, her complexities and her stoicism to root out the drug barons putting liquid death into the arms of the many.

Thankfully avoiding Hollywood clichés, it's often gritty and well thought out, Schumacher and his writers, Carol Doyle and Mary Agnes Donoghue, don't soft soap the Guerin image, her faults are laid bare alongside her searing strengths. The dangers of her work are very prominent throughout, leading to some suspenseful and fearsome scenes. Cate Blanchett as Guerin is inspired casting, an actress capable of covering all facets of the human condition, and in support Ciaran Hinds, Gerard McSorley and Brenda Fricker give powerful performances. 8/10

Veronica Guerin is the kind of journalist I could never, ever be, if I choose to go into that field in the future. She was determined, ballsy, hard-nosed, a risk-taker, and instilled with a bravado that bordered on irrationality. This movie is based on the true story of how Guerin, an Irish reporter, galvanized her country into implementing stricter drug laws and cracking down on drug-related crimes and drug abuse. Veronica Guerin paints her as a modern day Joan of Arc - misunderstood by peers and politicians while she was alive, but made a martyr and heroine after her death. It spans a period of two years, from Guerin's decision to take down Dublin's drug overlord, to her eventual assassination. (I'm not revealing any secrets - she's shot at the beginning before the movie flashes back). Guerin's tenacious reporting-style - poking, prodding, nudging friends and foes alike - was effective, albeit often treacherous - there had been previous attempts on her life before the final, fatal one. It is this that critics pick on in their reviews: Guerin's almost insane tendency to provoke known criminals and gangsters to the point of immediate danger to herself and her family. While it would be somewhat implausible if this were a fictitious story, the story of Veronica Guerin is a true one. Having not read her biography, I have no idea how much the filmmakers have embellished on it, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. With the picture they painted of Guerin, as well as Cate Blanchett's wonderful portrayal of her, I believe that Guerin, in her passion-fuelled moral crusade, would have been that compulsive, and ultimately, that heroic.

As much as I loved the story of Veronica Guerin, crusading journalist, I have some bones to pick with the technical aspects of the movie. One is with the director's tendency to suddenly go into "Blair Witch Cam," or hand-held cam, for those of you who haven't been nauseated by that movie. It's intended to give the movie a documentary feel, but the sudden switches to from fixed to hand-held cams just leave me dizzy. Another problem I had, though a smaller one, was with the schmaltzy-ing of certain scenes, especially the last one, where Celtic songs are played in the background. While I understand the reverrence intended and the relevance of playing Celtic music, I couldn't stop images of the Titanic and Sarah McLachlan (I don't know either) from appearing in my head. A suitably solemn, well-composed, non-Celtic piece would've been much more preferable. But that's just me. 9/10

This biographical drama grips me so emotionally from the beginning to the end. The contents are so intense that I could literally feel the strain on my body muscles at its end. Cate Blanchett's performance as Veronica Guerin is top-notched. She brings out a character that Ireland can proudly call a true daughter. Guerin was one journalist whose professionalism and belief prevented her from kowtowing to any corrupted system - even the threat of death. Director Joel Schumacher has created a powerful movie that pays true honor to Guerin.

This film has a superb cast of actors. Their characters come through the screen as very real people. Gerard McSorley's impressive performance as John Gilligan will be unforgettable. Oh yes, watch out for Colin Ferrel's cameo. Director Joel Schumacher's way of introducing the audience to the Sunday Independent newspaper's investigative journalist is so appropriate. It generated my curiosity and urge to get behind the uncanny story of the martyred icon. Yep, I was mesmerized by the Guerin character, following and watching every move and act this energetic woman made – up to a point I started gasping with disbelief. Then the flashback followed. Oh yes, every scene flowed with immense power and spirit to document Guerin's suicidal fanaticism and mission. In a very impressively dramatic, yet easy-to-follow, well paced-way, the story of Guerin's background unfolds. I witnessed the type of dangerous and trouble-filled environment facing her. I saw her as a workaholic mother, surrounded by loving family members who were willing to compromise to her very unconventional traits. I was given hints that there was a softer side within her that she refused to make public. The film provides very subtle indications that speak of Guerin's unusual urge to stay a winner – even as a young girl.

This film carries enough shocking scenes to make me understand the driving force behind her seemingly senseless acts. Every word in the dialogue did fill the gap, offering me a better understanding of her character. Blanchett definitely breathes life into the Guerin character with phenomenal credibility and vitality, allowing her personality to shine with such unique journalistic dedication, honesty, courage, determination and obsession. What I see on screen is a woman with true guts – an absolute winner. `I vow that the eyes of justice, the eyes of this journalist will not be shut again,` Blanchett's character has said. `No hand can deter me from my battle for the truth.' Repeatedly, I saw her facing death threats and physical attacks. My anxiety continued to crush me as I watch the evil surrounding her.

Does it always have to take a murder of a tenacious person to channel out public outcry, disgust and legislative actions to fight a crime? Veronica Guerin paid a price for devoting her career and life to exposing Dublin's drug barons and underworld leaders. I salute her. Like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, she belongs to the best category of journalists who will make the world a safer place to live. This film captures the same vitality as the inspirational ‘Bloody Sunday.' It's definitely a film not to miss.

A+

Based on the true-life incidents of Irish reporter Veronica Geurin, this film is a gritty, disparate but continuously compelling take on what eventually led to her violent death. And this is one of the few movies to give an accurate impression of Irish natives, cultures, accents etc. This is also an update of 1999's `When the Sky Falls' starring Joan Allen in the Guerin part. Of course `Veronica Geurin' wouldn't have been made had it not been for the fact that they used fictitious names to protect identities in the former.

The blunt realism of it all is what makes it all the more believable and worthwhile. While on initial appearance this may look like Ireland's answer to `Erin Brockovich', the two films are polar opposite. One is a glamorised, feel-good story of a woman making one of the biggest lawsuits in history, while the other is a gritty, downbeat story of how dangerous journalistic work really is. The conclusion to the movie is pre-determined, so it's what builds up to that point is where the movie succeeds.

The Hollywood interpretation of the Irish has been completely flawed in the past. Films like `Ordinary Decent Criminal', `Evelyn' and `The General' gave out a totally unrealistic impression. But `Veronica Geurin' doesn't make a false move and gives a complete expose of what this country really is. Another huge positive is the sheer engagement of it all. Right from the shocking `didn't-know-it-was-the-ending' opening sequence you'll be hooked. Just too bad that the running time is a mere 96 minutes.

Despite being a slightly young choice (only 33), Cate Blanchett was an excellent choice for the title role. She gets the accent just right, physically looks like the title character, and is always convincing. It really is her show, so support is upstaged for the most part. That isn't to say that the supporting parts are bad in any way. Most characters aren't stereotypes and do well in what little role they have. The only exception being a totally irrelevant and inexplicable cameo from Colin Farrell. The part is very small, but it makes a huge difference and is the only scene in which you remember that you're watching a movie. Meanwhile, director Joel Schumacher has proved to have mastered every genre. Well, not so much mastered as much attempted. Let's just say that he is now officially forgiven for the atrocity that was the previous two Batman movies.

Overall, `Veronica Geurin' is a powerful, rousing fast-based story that leaves an unsurprisingly bad taste. But if you want a new-wave gritty thriller, then this is the film for you. You don't have to be aware of the incident to enjoy the movie, but it would help. My IMDb rating: 7.0/10.