Rating: 
Summary: A Good Movie, If Not A Great One
Review: ... Apparently a number of viewers, seeing Harrison Ford in the cast, expected a big action picture and were disappointed; others are riled at the perceived "pro-IRA" slant of the story; and others can't seem to get past Brad Pitt's accent. However, as an Irish-American who has spent some time in Ireland and read a lot about its past, I thought the movie did a good job of presenting the tragic and complex background of the Troubles as represented by Pitt's character, given the limitations of the film genre. No movie, including the more focused "Michael Collins", can completely explain the twists, turns and tragedy of the Irish fight for independence from Britain (which is really what it is all about) and the toll it has taken and is taking even now in Northern Ireland. But the movie, as a drama, succeeds quite well, in my opinion. Both Pitt and Ford are excellent in their parts and the plot is exciting and moving; moveover, the dialog and score are very good and, while you may not completely understand the background of the conflict, you are carried along by the humanity of the characters and the dramatic action. I consider it one of Pitt's best performances and the supporting players are also excellent (Treat Williams is a very scary "smiling evildoer".) Overall, an exciting, poignant movie well worth seeing.
Rating: 
Summary: Naive and insensitive
Review: A naive and one sided view of a complex and sensitive problem in Northern Ireland. It is made by someone on the other side of the atlantic who clearly has no real knowledge of the reality of the situation and is sympathetic to the IRA. The truth is, both sides have killed and injured too many people in the last 30 years and it is totally insensitive to release a film which attempts to justify Pitt's IRA characters motives because his family was killed by "evil" loyalists. The peace settlement is something everyone in Britain and Ireland wants and films like this show little understanding and I urge people not to watch it.
Rating: 
Summary: THE DEVIL'S OWN
Review: Alan J. Pakula, the director who has given us such memorable films as KLUTE and MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, helms an atmospheric and brooding story of loyalty, honor, trust and friendship. Brad Pitt stars as Franky McGuire, an IRA member, who saw his father brutally murdered at the dinner table; Franky was only eight years old. As an adult, he continues a fierce mission for freedom and ends up in New York to buy missiles from creepy entrepreneur Treat Williams (coldly efficient in a role-reversal). Arrangements are made for him to room at a NYC cop's pad. The cop is the indefatigable Harrison Ford, whose honor and conscience are tested when his partner (Ruben Blades) cold bloodedly shoots a running target, who had no weapon. Things go wrong for Pitt when Ford's wife is almost killed when they interrupt a bunch of thugs looking for something from Pitt. The inevitable showdown is a good one.
Pitt and Ford are very good in their roles, although Pitt's Irish brogue is sometimes a little hard to understand. Margaret Colin as Ford's wife is good, but is given little to do in the movie. However, Natasha McElhone is wonderful as Pitt's girl friend, bringing a sensitive strength to her role as Megan.
Pitt's plight is tragic, and Ford's knowledge of this makes for the emotional struggle by the film's end.
A good, but not easy, film.
Rating: 
Summary: If you're THAT bored...
Review: Alright if you are supremely bored, but Brad Pitt with a fake Irish accent..he he ,um, okay whatever.
Rating: 
Summary: A BLOOPER THAT FORD + PITT WOULD LIKE TO GET PAST..
Review: Apart from the notoriously grating Ulster accent that Brad Pitt adopted for this movie, there are several things that drag the movie down. A plot would have been nice for instance. Harrison Ford's character turns out in the end of have been totally skippable, perhaps something written only to inflate his screen time as the 20-million-per-film star. There's a whole dog and pony show with him questioning his own police career after a sour NYC cop incident, etc etc, but it's hard to see how this really made the tiniest dent in the story. Brad Pitt can't get over his typical I'm-so-suave look that appeals to the middle aged ladies of the world. Simply scrambling your vowel sounds and saying "fook's seek" frequently doesn;t quite make you sound, what,Oirish! It does make you painfully insufferable though. Thirdly, even more laughable than the accents are the action scenes, which are so poorly choreographed and edited, it's hard to believe the film is a Hollywood product. First there is Sean and Frankie's shootout with "half the fookin' army," which they predictably win -- with a shotgun. Then they escape because the British forget to watch the back door. Hmm. Then, there is the mysterious appearance of a vast forest in the middle of downtown Belfast, into which IRA terrorists can conveniently ease into when cornered. Next there is the shootout with Billy Burke, in which Frankie somehow manages to fire three rounds from a double-barrelled shotgun (taking out a sniper who, oddly enough, falls forward from the impact of a shot in the chest), retrieves his pistol and fires the same shot twice--hitting Billy Burke, who for some reason counted to ten before lunging for his own gun. Long and short of it, this is a passable movie you could consider renting, but keep your expectations low. Nothing you'd be seen talking about I am sure.
Rating:
Summary: I sound more Irish with a mouthful of spaghetti, but...
Review: Brad Pitt's accent aside, this is a great film. Harrison Ford is in his usual low-key superstar role, & the story of a young IRA soldier dogged by the death of his father is a compelling one. Emotional & effective, the score was done by Titanic's James Horner.
Rating:
Summary: A deeply moving film about a crucial issue of our times
Review: Devil's Own has been badly under rated by most reviewers. The film treats a tragic and ongoing political issue which has deep historical roots. Brad Pitt gives a passionate, convincing and moving portrayal of a young IRA activist. The viewer can understand where he is coming from (to use an Americanism) and empathises with him. Harrison Ford's character also brings across the dilemma he faces as his affection for the Pitt character conflicts with his perceived duty. The film was certainly a contribution to the understanding of the North Irish problem. I also enjoyed it tremedously as a political as well as a personal dilemma film. Perhaps the Harrison Ford character should have been less 'soft' in his policing scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed? To be sure. Still worth it? Oh, yeah
Review: Ford and Pitt do great things together in this movie. While watching, you sort of wonder how much of the film made the cutting floor... perhaps scenes that might have cleared a few things up. Pitt has a knack for selecting scripts so I have to think the script was better than what ended up being the film. but, it's not a horrid film by any stretch. Not as good as I was expecting, but still worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: If You Aren't Confused, You Don't Know What's Going On
Review: Francis 'Frankie' McGuire (Brad Pitt) is one of the most wanted IRA terrorists in Belfast, Ireland. He is wanted for the murder of several police officers and army soldiers, among others. But now his group is raising the stakes. They are no longer going to waste their time with guns - they are going for missiles. So Frankie heads to New York City under the alias Rory Devaney. An Irish judge sets him up to live with the O'Meara family, headed by Sergaent Tom O'Meara (Harrison Ford), one of New York's finest. As Frankie works to overhaul a boat and deal with the slimy arms dealer, Billy Burke (Treat Williams), he finds himself growing attached to the O'Meara family and wishing that he had the opportunity to lead such a life. When Billy Burke sends men to the O'Meara house looking for his money, Frankie knows that it is time to go before he ends up harming the family who made him a part of their home for a short time. But once Tom O'Meara discovers Frankie's real identity, he isn't about to let him go... I will be the first to admit that I didn't understand everything that was going on in the plot, but Brad Pitt's character said that "If you aren't confused [about the situation in Ireland], you don't know what is going on," and I found that to be pretty true for the whole story line. In fact, it was more of a slice of life and time passing than a story with an actual beginning and end. Aside from the plot, the movie really shines with the superb acting in the film. I truly cared for these characters, even though one of them was a terrorist shown killing several men. Harrison Ford was excellent as a cop who had to live with slightly tarnished honor to cover for his friend and he did a fine job portraying his character's inner struggle as he tried to decide what to do with Frankie. Brad Pitt was gorgeous, as usual, and I thought that his Irish accent was quite charming. Of course, I don't really know what a real Irish accent sounds like, but when Brad spoke in a soft, melodic ripple of sound, it convinced me. The supporting characters were also great, led by Margaret Colin, who played Sheila O'Meara, Harrison Ford's wife and his 'daughters' including Julia Stiles as Bridget, a snotty, always on the phone teenager who refused to admit she had a crush on Frankie, Ashley Carin as Morgan, who fell head over heels for Frankie and the charming Kelly Singer as Annie, who is the youngest and had the most interaction with the main characters. One of the best things about the film was the music, composed by James Homer. It was just beautiful and had a wonderful Irish feel to it to help draw you in. There is also a heartbreakingly beautiful song written and performed by Melissa Etheridge during the closing credits. I have to admit that the ending wasn't what I wanted it to be, but there really was no way to end this movie in a way that made it a happy "American" ending. As the movie ends, Frankie reminds us that it is an Irish story, not an American one - only American stories always have happy endings. All in all, the movie may be a bit muddled and perhaps could have been improved and cleared up, but I still think that this is a movie worth watching - especially if you are a fan of either of the leads.
Rating:
Summary: If You Aren't Confused, You Don't Know What's Going On
Review: Francis 'Frankie' McGuire (Brad Pitt) is one of the most wanted IRA terrorists in Belfast, Ireland. He is wanted for the murder of several police officers and army soldiers, among others. But now his group is raising the stakes. They are no longer going to waste their time with guns - they are going for missiles. So Frankie heads to New York City under the alias Rory Devaney. An Irish judge sets him up to live with the O'Meara family, headed by Sergaent Tom O'Meara (Harrison Ford), one of New York's finest. As Frankie works to overhaul a boat and deal with the slimy arms dealer, Billy Burke (Treat Williams), he finds himself growing attached to the O'Meara family and wishing that he had the opportunity to lead such a life. When Billy Burke sends men to the O'Meara house looking for his money, Frankie knows that it is time to go before he ends up harming the family who made him a part of their home for a short time. But once Tom O'Meara discovers Frankie's real identity, he isn't about to let him go... I will be the first to admit that I didn't understand everything that was going on in the plot, but Brad Pitt's character said that "If you aren't confused [about the situation in Ireland], you don't know what is going on," and I found that to be pretty true for the whole story line. In fact, it was more of a slice of life and time passing than a story with an actual beginning and end. Aside from the plot, the movie really shines with the superb acting in the film. I truly cared for these characters, even though one of them was a terrorist shown killing several men. Harrison Ford was excellent as a cop who had to live with slightly tarnished honor to cover for his friend and he did a fine job portraying his character's inner struggle as he tried to decide what to do with Frankie. Brad Pitt was gorgeous, as usual, and I thought that his Irish accent was quite charming. Of course, I don't really know what a real Irish accent sounds like, but when Brad spoke in a soft, melodic ripple of sound, it convinced me. The supporting characters were also great, led by Margaret Colin, who played Sheila O'Meara, Harrison Ford's wife and his 'daughters' including Julia Stiles as Bridget, a snotty, always on the phone teenager who refused to admit she had a crush on Frankie, Ashley Carin as Morgan, who fell head over heels for Frankie and the charming Kelly Singer as Annie, who is the youngest and had the most interaction with the main characters. One of the best things about the film was the music, composed by James Homer. It was just beautiful and had a wonderful Irish feel to it to help draw you in. There is also a heartbreakingly beautiful song written and performed by Melissa Etheridge during the closing credits. I have to admit that the ending wasn't what I wanted it to be, but there really was no way to end this movie in a way that made it a happy "American" ending. As the movie ends, Frankie reminds us that it is an Irish story, not an American one - only American stories always have happy endings. All in all, the movie may be a bit muddled and perhaps could have been improved and cleared up, but I still think that this is a movie worth watching - especially if you are a fan of either of the leads.
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