The extraordinary story of the rise and fall of the gangster, Martin Cahill.

John Boorman made a grand comeback with this film; his home had been burglarized and he decided to make a movie about the thief, who happened to be the Irish master criminal Martin Cahill. Dubbed “the General” by his cronies, Cahill had become a notorious robber who eventually made the mistake of challenging the IRA. The director portrays a humiliated police force that has a passionate desire to destroy the legend, but also a skilled professional who always knew how to trump the cops. Brendan Gleeson is successful in the way he lets Cahill come across as a regular family man who just happens to be a criminal.

The YouTube clip shows the trailer.

1998-Ireland-Britain. 125 min. B/W. Widescreen. Produced, written and directed by John Boorman. Cast: Brendan Gleeson (Martin Cahill), Jon Voight (Ned Kelly), Adrian Dunbar (Noel Curley), Sean McGinley, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Angeline Ball… Jim Sheridan.

Trivia: Some versions of the film were issued in color.

Cannes: Best Director.

Published 2003-12-29 14:39