Overall Rating Awesome: 16.13% Worth A Look: 17.74% Average: 45.16% Pretty Bad: 11.29% Total Crap: 9.68% 7 reviews, 20 user ratings

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Veronica Guerin

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by Greg Muskewitz

"Gimmick-y TV movie of the week."

While it is ostensibly a biopic that focuses by name on its subject à la Erin Brockovich, it similarly feels to be less about who the person was and what and why they did what they did, as it is more “about them.”

I mean, Guerin must be known for a reason (she was a slain journalist in Dublin who wrote about the society’s drug-trafficking problem), but rarely is there any insight into why she was compelled to do what she did. The movie gives examples of a bit of investigative work, meeting with local connections, and being threatened for her revelatory pieces, as well as her own superiors’ warnings to drop the hounding out fear of harm (“You get used to cold water, not bullets,” or, “Stop this — write about fashion”), but the psychology of Guerin’s drive is never a consideration into this probe. So it seems while I want to understand her battle against the druglords — beyond that of just being the underdog who won’t take no for an answer — Joel Schumacher is more interested in portraying her as a martyr, a hero, a saint, wringing out the towel for every drop of pathos and sentiment the thing can get. His direction all the way along amounts to no more than a clunky, clumsy attempt at a TV Spotlight of the Week special (appropriately using a sappy, awful musical score). Though Cate Blanchett does a fair job in the role, even she cannot lift it outside of the vying pool of “award consideration” roles, instead being displayed as a trophy who is remembered for her role as dying, and not what Guerin really died for.

[Not to be bothered with.]

link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=8260&reviewer=172
originally posted: 05/12/04 19:54:09

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User Comments

6/09/13 PAUL SHORTT SIMPLEMINDED TREATMENT OF A TRUE STORY DESPITE A GREAT STAR PERFORMANCE 2 stars

9/12/07 William Goss A fine Cate Blanchett performance can't topple Schumacher's heavy-handed direction. 3 stars

10/02/06 tessa outstanding film !!!!! 5 stars

10/26/05 Katie Evridge Interesting look at the drug problem in Ireland. 3 stars

10/02/05 Caoimhe Amazing.A touching film. 5 stars

5/23/05 susee liked it..well made 5 stars

2/06/05 John T. moving and emotional, i even cried. 5 stars

1/07/05 Landshark Silly in a Harrison's Flowers kind of way 3 stars

10/17/04 Pollo Not original. I've seen this before. 3 stars

3/21/04 Mitch Definitely worth the price of a rental, if only to see Cate & hear Sinead O'Connor! 4 stars

3/04/04 Natalie Stonecipher MOSTLY lucid movie, with worst version ever of "The Fields Of Athenry". 4 stars

3/03/04 LIAM JACKSON just goes to show that when you nose in, you get more than you bargain for. 5 stars

1/16/04 Helen Bradley Blanchett's acting make tjhis a great movie 5 stars

1/15/04 Betty White Blanchett is solid and understated in this slow-moving biopic. 4 stars

11/22/03 orsie what a tear jerkier. the reviewers don'nt have a clue! 5 stars

11/13/03 Rebecca K Excellent!!!!! 5 stars

11/07/03 Cameron Slick An emotional and startling film that with a great performance by Blanchett. 4 stars

10/29/03 Heather It's pretty good although I would have preferred an Irish Director to have done it 4 stars

10/26/03 rory will remeber this 1 for a long time 5 stars

10/18/03 gino wow don't know why i saw it but i'm glad i did. made me cry 5 stars

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USA 17-Oct-2003 (R) DVD: 16-Mar-2004 UK N/A Australia 15-Jan-2004

Directed by Joel Schumacher Written by Carol Doyle Mary Agnes Donoghue Cast Cate Blanchett Gerard McSorley Brenda Fricker Barry Barnes Ciarind Hinds Laurence Kinlan Colin Farrell

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