’71 | Yann Demange | New York Film Festival 2014
’71 is the riveting first feature-length film from director Yann Demange, about an unfortunate situation that arises for a British soldier who is abandoned in Northern Ireland during a mission gone wrong, leaving his life in the fragile hands of the politics and war that play out around him.
Jack O’Connell stars as Gary Hook, a fresh-faced British solider shipped out to Belfast for his first mission. His unit is sent out to help maintain order in the chaotic areas where Northern Ireland conflict tensions are rising to severely violent levels. Their first mission sees them accompanying the local police, who are conducting a search for guns within residents homes. The locals don’t take to kindly to their arrival, and the situation gets quite messy, very fast. Things get so out of hand that Hook’s crew have to take off for their own safety. During the madness, they unknowingly leave the young soldier to fend for himself, unintentionally abandoning in enemy territory. He has no where to turn, except away from pointed guns.
From here on out, Demange hits the accelerator, never looking back. ’71 comes at you with a fierce, brutal intensity that will cripple you within your seat. Hook is sent running for his life, as hell-bent members of the IRA come at him with guns firing at seemingly every direction. Demange places you well within the depths of this nightmare scenario, engulfing you with the same crippling fear that Hook is experiencing. It has no problem flexing its muscles, you best be ready for it. Credit to director of photography Scott Kevan who captures all the action in a way that is fitting for the time period.
Things never settle down for Hook, who is constantly thrown into situations that have him questioning who to trust, and if anyone is really who they say that they are. Members of the IRA, as well as undercover leaders within his own army each have their own set agendas, making Hook’s situation as problematic as possible. No one side is pinned as right or wrong, it all runs along a very murky line of grey. If the movie has a flaw, its that it gets hard for the audience to distinguish between the various characters and their intentions.
The cast is richly comprised of skilled character actors both familiar and new, all who help create the tense world that is portrayed. But its all about the star-making performance from Jack O’Connell. Over the past year I’ve heard nothing but glowing praise about the actor, with many calling him one of the best new actors to keep an eye on. There’s no doubt about it, he’s the real deal. He hardly has time to speak, but is so effective and communicating through emotion and body language that its more than enough. There’s also some great work from newcomer Barry Keoghan who has a pair of great scenes with O’Connell that cause them to show, not tell, and boy do they hit it out of the park.
The most impressive thing about ’71 is the tense atmosphere that is constantly at work and how relentless and sharp its portrayal is. You dive so deep into the world that you hardly have any time to come up for air. By the time it all comes to an end, you’re not so much at ease, but are hit with a feeling of dread and despair that you just can’t shake. It’s stunning.
Demange and O’Connell have arrived, and are here to stay. I can’t wait to see what comes next for the both of them. The future is bright.
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