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A Cause for Troubles

Set in 1980s Belfast, "Fifty Dead Men Walking" is inspired by the true story of Martin McGartland, who spied for the British government while rising within the ranks of the IRA (a discovered IRA informer was considered a "dead man walking.") The film takes an honest look at the conflict from both sides, where no one is entirely right or wrong. Strictly speaking, there are no heroes or villains, only human beings whose loyalties lie somewhere between a community and a cause. And, not surprisingly, some get caught in the middle. Though "caught in the middle" is a misleading expression here, since that is precisely how and where one escapes divisiveness - or tries to.

Irish and English, Catholics and Protestants, Republicans and Unionists, Nationalists and Loyalists, are at the crossroads - and in the crosshairs - of forces both in and out of their control. The film is "reality-based" in the opposite sense of what that false phrase has come to mean. But there is no shortage of mainstream adrenalin here. While staying true to the source material, many of the scenes could be placed within a Jason Bourne or Daniel Craig-era James Bond film. "Fifty Dead Men Walking" is also a convincing love story, and could stand alone as such, were it possible to separate the romance from the larger sociopolitical "Troubles."

Martin (Jim Sturgess) is a minor street hustler who moves between the inner circles of the IRA and British government. He exhibits the conflicted loyalties and divided passions of a man who is impossibly living both on the edge and in the center of the storm. Sturgess' performance is revelatory in a role that is profoundly subtle in its uneasy extremes.

Fergus (Sir Ben Kingsley) is a high-ranking official in the British government's "Special Branch." In many ways an older version of Martin, Fergus' own self-doubt is much more controlled and buried under years of fighting for a cause. He is both a father figure disciplinarian and affable uncle, both good cop and bad. Kingsley gradually reveals something poignantly human out of his character's initial, obsessive persona.

Sean (Kevin Zegers), Martin's best mate, moves from affection to suspicion as Martin's IRA credentials increase beyond his own. These two are inevitably put on a course from friendship to enmity, yet the sense of brotherhood that fuels both these dynamics is always apparent. Lara (Natalie Press), Martin's love-interest, is girlfriend then wife then mother. Press has a presence that does justice to a role requiring strength and stability amidst actions beyond her control and even her knowledge. She can project both innocence and experience, often simultaneously, and the relationship that develops between her and Martin rivals, in its pyrotechnics, the other more obvious explosions in the film. Grace (Rose McGowen) is a femme-fatale ringleader of the IRA who is both tutor and temptress to Martin. McGowen's knowing sexuality is perfect for the part, which is also a fleshed-out character (pun intended), not a caricature.

Writer-Director-Producer Kari Skogland seems to be in the service of more than an aesthetic, but, ironically, a cause. Never taking sides, she honors the cause of objectivity and humility and, as a result, accuracy. Though billed as being "inspired by true events," the real Martin McGartland, who is still in hiding, has no connection with the film itself.

Non-Irish viewers may struggle to understand some of the thicker accents, though subtitles have been provided. Any language barriers, however, are sure to be quickly removed once immersed in the film. And that may be something of a message. Despite differences of language or religion or politics or race, a common humanity is evident for those with ears to hear. And that may be something of a warning as well. When bombs explode and guns fire, those same ears can only ring - and not with the truth.