'71. A Review.

’71 blisters and burns on the screen, lit by molotov cocktail and set to a soundtrack of dustbin lids and broken glass, it is a film that feels vital, angry, and dangerous. 

It is 1971, young British Soldier Gary Hook is deployed in Belfast at the height of the violent period known as the troubles. Separated from his squad, Gary is forced to run for his life through a rabbit-warren of terraced streets and try to make it back to his barracks. 

Gary Hook knows very little about the conflict he is dropped into, he is simply a toy soldier who becomes more of a rabbit trapped in headlights. He is an ideal character to centre on, for he discovers information at the same time as the audience, however he is saved from being simply the audience’s surrogate by the brilliant casting of Jack O’Connell. Director Yann Demange has said that O’Connell simply understood the character, he even changed the script so that Gary was from Jack’s hometown of Derby because he felt O’Connell so embodied the character he wanted on screen. O’Connell suffered for his art, filming took place in a rare March heatwave while he was wearing layers, apparently it ‘friggin hurt’, however on screen it seems as though he worked this into his performance. While Gary’s motivations are simple and relatable, O’Connell gives a complex performance, conveying a great range of emotions often with a single look.

A friend once told me every time he watches Black Hawk Down he spots another star before they were famous, the cast of ’71 give a similar vibe.The young IRA members are frighteningly unpredictable, Killian Scott gives an excellent turn as Quinn, an ambitious and bitter young man who escalates events beyond his control. Sean Harris’ shady Captian Browning dominates the screen in every scene he’s in, dangerous, calculating, and utterly terrifying. It is unfortunate that there are so few roles for women in the film, however this is more a consequence of the setting and the tightly focused plot rather than any prejudice. The women in the film are as caught in the middle as Gary, they represent conscience as a counterpart to the violence, as shown in an early scene where a distraught Denise Gough tries to calm the escalating violence. In years to come, when the cast move on to more prominent roles, they can be proud of their performances in ‘71.

One of the most prominently displayed reviews on the promotional material for ’71 declares that the film holds you in a ‘vice-like grip’, it certainly seems that Director Yann Demange had a vice-like grip on the story and tone of this, his first feature. He never allows the film to become bogged down in politics or sentiment, instead he focuses on human drama and tragedy. He has cited films like the Warriors, Escape From New York, and the work of Bourne director Paul Greengrass as touchstones for the film, this is evident in the breathless pace of the action sequences. ’71 also brings to mind the aforementioned Black Hawk Down, as it seems to be a commentary on the futility of war - as Richard Dormer’s world-weary medic states, it’s just ‘posh cunts telling thick cunts to kill poor cunts’. Words like raw and visceral are used far too often in reviews, and many a time are simply euphemisms for bloody and violent, however in the context of ’71 they are entirely appropriate. It is a film which shocks, but does not revel in or draw out the shocking sequences. Demange has said that in riot sequences it is the extras that he watches, and he let his riot sequence play out in full for every take. While it must have been hard on the crew, this tactic pays huge dividends - as the riot sequence feels real, as though we are seeing it through Gary’s eyes rather than some director who has a shakey-camera. 

’71 is very much a war film, however Demange wanted the film to transcend reality, and this effect is achieved in part through cinematography, editing, and sound. Director of Photography Tat Radcliffe often keeps Hook in the centre of the frame while violence seems to be happening in the darkness all around him. Chris Wyatt’s editing, particularly in the running sequences, creates a feeling of claustrophobia, making the streets of Belfast feel more like the maze of theseus - dizzying and endless. David Holmes is a veteran film composer, his work on ’71 is enchanting with lone strings echoing in haunting fashion almost reminiscent of the opening of Apocalypse Now featuring the iconic ‘The End’ by the Doors. All these elements pull together to create a film with a creeping sense of tragedy and inevitability, making it at times a hard watch but also impossible to turn away from. 

Yann Demange has said that when making ’71 he was aware it may be the only film he ever gets chance to make. While ‘71 is an excellent film which surely has earned him another gig, it was a fitting comment to have made about a film which feels at all times as if everyone involved was giving their all, a film in which first chances must be grasped because its characters may not survive to get a second one. 

WHO: Jack O’Connell is brilliant, there is barely a trace of performance, he is Gary Hook

WHAT: There are several moment which will shock you. I’m still recovering. 

WHY: An essential and unforgettable film, it will have you glued to the screen.

WHEN: Clear 99 mins on your calendar and see this film as soon as you can.