MOVIE REVIEW: “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”
“The Wind that Shakes the Barley” (2006)
Directed by: Ken Loach
Written by: Paul Laverty
Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Padriac Delaney
*** stars (out of ****)
This is a real film about real stuff. Not as good as “The Battle of Algiers” (1966), but good enough. This film is possibly the most gripping film ever with the IRA as the subject of the story, as is “Odd Man Out”—a 1947 black and white film directed by Carol Reed, who also directed “The Third Man.”
“The Wind that Shakes the Barley” takes a much broader historic view of the Irish rebellion early in the 20th century, which is good: we all can learn something by watching this film. But on all fronts, a better film, although with a smaller focus, is “Odd Man Out.” The cinematography of “Odd Man Out” is also far and away superior to anything being shot today.
