The Flag

The scenario is not all that promising to begin with. Disillusioned navvy (Pat Shortt) returns to Ireland for father's funeral, then hatches plan to return to England and reclaim the 1916 GPO tricolour from a British barracks. and return it to Ireland. So, a certain amount of farce and paddywhackery are to be expected. What we get is even worse, an awful mess that has no idea what it wants to be. The film lurches from farce to bittersweet, slapstick to romantic. I would use the word 'comedy' with above terms, but there isn't a line or event that's remotely funny. Despite a fine cast who do their level best to keep the thing afloat, the leaky scenario is quickly sunk by a woeful script and the failure of the director to impose any form of order or tone on the proceedings.

This was clearly just thrown together quickly in order to have it out in time for the 1916 centenary celebrations during Easter 2016. But it wasn't released until October that year in Ireland, which makes me think that there was disappointment all round the studio. Not only for missing the date, but also perhaps for throwing out such a tepid film that had the potential to be so much better. Pat Shortt is an Irish favourite and he is always a joy to watch, and he is the one good aspect here. But even he can't sustain such a poor script that looks like it was just thrown together one lazy afternoon, and when the supporting cast aren't up to par, there isn't a whole lot one man can do. It's meant to be a madcap comedy looking at the adventure that one man goes on after he finds a letter written by his late grandfather, stating that he was the one who raised the Irish flag over the GPO during the 1916 Easter Rising. The flag is now hanging up on the wall in an army barracks in England. Inspired, he decides to head over and see if he can get it out of there and return it home. It's all very weak indeed, poorly performed and hardly worth a mention.