Veronica Guerin
The true story of Dublin journalist Veronica Guerin's assassination in 1996 stars Cate Blanchett in the title role... .
Veronica Guerin was a crime reporter for the Sunday Independent in the early 1990s. A series of stories probing into Dublin's gangland and its involvement in the drugs trade brought her in contact with some of our country's nastiest thugs, few of whom appreciated the attention. In 1996, Veronica Guerin was shot dead by a motorcycle passenger while stopped at traffic lights on the Naas dual carriageway.
Her murder led to major revisions in Irish law and the creation of the Criminal Assets Bureau, or C.A.B., in an attempt to curb the unchecked growth of the drug barons' empires. It also led to a change in Irish journalism, providing reporters with more protection, but also, unfortunately, indirectly limiting the scope of their investigations.
Joel Schumacher's film on Mrs.Guerin's life leading up to the assassination takes a look at both her work and her family life. This is not merely Jerry Bruckheimer sentimentality, but perhaps the most relevant dramatic angle on her life.
Emily O'Reilly, a fellow journalist, wrote a book about Veronica Guerin's life and work two years after the murder. In it she attacked the saintly image that people painted of Mrs Guerin after her death. Mrs O'Reilly's implication was that Veronica Guerin was reckless and neglectful, particularly towards her family and son, endangering their lives through her work. As a result of her investigations, repeated threats were made against Mrs Guerin and her family, and she herself was attacked a number of times including a prior shooting incident.
No doubt, the truth lies somewhere between the two extremes. Certainly, to do her job as she did would require a great deal of recklessness as well as courage. There is no doubt either that the role of the media is not just to entertain with titbits of information, but to hold to account those who would otherwise undermine society.
Schumacher's film tends to stray towards the “saintly” side of the story, and does so with a certain degree of melodrama, which seems inappropriate given the subject matter.
However the performances are excellent all round, with one insignificant exception (see if you can spot it). Cate Blanchett puts in a particularly strong performance, and shows enough restraint to limit Schumacher's melodrama to some extent. Her Irish accent is also fairly good, which is a rare surprise. The supporting cast playing the story's criminals are very good too. Gerald McSorley is a convincingly disturbed John Gilligan, an animal affecting gentility, and Alan Devine as Gerry Hutch a.k.a. “The Monk” comes across as an unusually but believably civilized gentleman criminal.
Overall, if a litttle melodramatic, Veronica Guerin is a worthy tribute to the courage and determination of a journalist who put her life on the line by refusing to give in to thuggish intimidation.
Veronica Guerin will open in Ireland on the 11th of July.
Cert.: 15PG
It is worth noting that over the past twelve years over 1,100 journalists and media staff have been killed in the line of duty. Veronica Guerin's story is not just a tribute to the woman herself but to many others whose stories will go untold.
More details on the film are available on the official Veronica Guerin Film website http://veronicaguerin.movies.go.com/
