Michael Collins

It's hard not to watch Michael Collins and not get swept up in the patriotic fervour of it all, especially now at the centenary of the Easter Rising. Basically everyone's seen Michael Collins, right? It was required viewing in Primary and Secondary School in Ireland, it's on TV at least once a year and Julia Roberts' mangled accent has gone down as one of the worst attempted in cinema's history. Liam Neeson had already forged a career as a leading man by this stage, what with his work on Schindler's List, Rob Roy and a supporting role in that other Secondary School classic, The Mission.

The plot, as we know, is riddled with inaccuracies and anachronisms. Stephen Rea's character, Ned Broy, lived until in 1974 and formed the Special Branch. Bloody Sunday didn't involve an armoured tank being driven into the middle of Croke Park, nor did anyone kick a ball over said tank. Director Neil Jordan, for his part, admits these inaccuracies and was more concerned with making a dramatic, entertaining look at our history. On that basis, Michael Collins works. Liam Neeson, for his part, is energetic and magnetic as the rebel leader whilst Eamon DeValera has all the oily, sneering, devilishness that you'd expect from a performance from Alan Rickman. Julia Roberts, of course, does her best with her atrocious accent whilst keeping both Aidan Quinn, Liam Neeson and the audience at bay. Aidan Quinn, however, is the real star of the show and gives a human, layered performance as Harry Boland. Sure, it might not have any basis in reality, but it's really affecting to see.

The cinematography is sumptuous and golden, evoking an idealised version of Dublin and manages to make Bray look like some sort of French riviera in one particular scene. Elliot Goldenthal's sweeping score adds to the grandiosity of what Jordan's attempting whilst the special effects and period details are enough to wash over any remaining doubts. The smart editing keeps the story firing on all cylinders and the overly dramatic acting from all concerned keeps the tensions high and the pacing elevated. Essentially, Jordan wanted to create a gangster epic set in Dublin and used the 1916 Rising as the setting.

On that basis, Michael Collins works splendidly. Just don't use it as historical fact.