Bloody Sunday

An amazingly captivating portrait of the events of a heated afternoon. The documentary format is very effective, there are moments that make you believe you are watching authentic footage. The action is not very clear at times, but that’s appropriate for the confusion of the events. It would take Greengrass a couple more films to perfect his style, but Bloody Sunday is still bloody good. (16/02/2011)

Before Paul Greengrass embarked on his filmmaking career, he worked as a political observer, focusing his global scale attention mostly on Northern Ireland. It was during this time that he gathered an incredible amount of facts and personal knowledge that he later transferred into this film. Right from the beginning, strong political incorrectness is apparent as one of the involved parties clearly "loses," but it's not the director's fault. With documentary-like impartiality, the film reconstructs events hour by hour (later almost minute by minute) and presents them in an incredibly unbearable and brutally authentic atmosphere. It quickly, succinctly, and very clearly showcases the stance of both sides. Moreover, he divides the plot into thirds, with the first literally squeezing the viewer with anticipation of real hell, the second raising the question "Why?" and the final "mourning of the dead" is, in my opinion, one of the most emotionally charged moments in the history of cinema. Its lack of sentiment puts even Steven Spielberg's film endings to shame. When I saw the mention of the queen, honors, and the number of those punished in the closing credits, which I read with teary eyes (seriously!), I was truly speechless! (19/09/2005)

Greengrass's account of the memorable Bloody Sunday of 30 January 1972 is remarkable not in the facts he presents to the viewer (after all, this painful blemish on British politics is widely known in Western Europe and many documentaries have been made about it), but in the form in which it is presented. Greengrass's evocative direction, backed by nervous, jittery camerawork, successfully gives the viewer the impression that they are not watching a film reconstruction, but a documentary recording of one of the participants in the demonstration. I would argue that the main idea of the film is the words of the organiser of the demonstration at a press conference on the same day that 27 people stained Irish soil with their blood: “I just want to say this to the British Government... You know what you've just done, don't you? You've destroyed the civil rights movement, and you've given the IRA the biggest victory it will ever have. All over this city tonight, young men... boys will be joining the IRA, and you will reap a whirlwind.” 4 1/2 *. (01/11/2005)

A very documentary and realistic account of the events running up to Black Sunday on January 30th, 1972; an event that fueled the IRA’s cause... The movie follows (without judging) how all of the parties involved saw things. Greengrass for the first time showed that he is not only a very able screenwriter, but also a very talented director whose style of shaky directing and camera sucks you into the action. Despite being very strong with lots of powerful moments, the ending could have been drawn out a little longer, letting it sink in better, like in United 93. (26/03/2005)

I can't believe the news today. Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away. How long...how long must we sing this song? How long, how long... 'Cause tonight we can be as one tonight... Whoever says Bloody Sunday is one-sided has no eyes. The protesters are too determined and talk to each other several times about attacking before the fatal break happens. Conversely, the soldiers are under pressure, but that doesn't change how incredibly cowardly and insane they will end up being in the next breath. When ever I hear a phrase like "Humanity may not deserve to survive" in a movie again, a scene of screaming, defenseless people being shot in the back will pop into my mind. Is it possible for something like this to happen decades after World War II? And that decades after Bloody Sunday, this theme, in its various permutations, is still so painfully relevant? And the battle's just begun. There's many lost, but tell me who has won.... (14/09/2007)