Ballade pour un traître

This TV movie or mini series is inspired from a novel which I have read, and the movie is rather faithful to the book. Anyway, every tale related to IRA is always worth, gritty, violent, gloomy. Elliott Gould, who is not the main lead here, is nevertheless the most interesting character, because the evil one, as Tom Cruise in COLLATERAL, or Donald Sutherland in EYE OF THE NEEDLE. But if you watch closely there are several main characters, but no real lead. I will insist on Gould's role, very riveting, where I remember him in Robert Altman's THE LONG GOODBYE. I think there is something in common between those two performances; despite the fact that in 1971 he played a gumshoe and here a hired killer. But Gould is Gould. He appears a while after the opening scens and disappears before the end. Very strange but unusual.

Decent bit of intrigue here. Initially shown over two nights but also available in abridged video format. Having seen it again recently some twelve years or so after its original screening, it stands up quite well.

As was often the IRA modus operendi, a large bomb is detonated in central London during mid Christmas shopping. The same night, Michael McGurk gives himself up to British Police. In an attempt to protect both the family and the identity of their informant, the Police place McGurk under a witness-protection program, and send him out to Australia for relocation and integration.

The IRA however are understandably toey about this arrangement and hire a top US assassin to clean up their mess for them. Patrick Bergin is in fine form as McGurk and Elliot Gould has no reason to push himself to the limit as Callaghan, the assassin. This guy REALLY enjoys his work!

As I said at the outset, an eminently watchable caper, just a tad long!