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Michael Collins

Michael Collins

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $15.98
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: THE IRISH "BRAVEHEART": LENGTHY BUT ENGROSSING
Review: Passionate screenplay and breathtaking cinematography, supported by Goldenthal's top notch background score: this film truly surprised me.

Plot-wise, you will learn a lot about the Irish rebellion against the British. The story, I found on some googling, has some crevices (e.g., Ned Broy was NOT murdered by the Tans as shown in the movie, in reality he survived the whole thing and went on to become the first head of the Gardai, the unarmed Irish police force.)

Yet, the superbly executed plotline unravels with an exciting pace, and is easy to follow. I was riveted.

Acting-wise, tight convincing performances all around, seems they couldn't have selected anyone better than Liam Neeson to portray Collins, although Julia Roberts was a bit expendable (and what's with that ill-achieved Irish accent!) Alan Rickman as de Valera was stunning as usual.

Despite its length, the film does full justice to the inspiration character of Collins. Recommended!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Excellent Historical Portrayal
Review: I found that this film was in all ways an amazing and accurate piece of work.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Clearly depicts how power and jealously
Review: destroy friendships when visions for freedom compete. If you want to know how it was then this is a good movie to get started with.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It has its good moments
Review: I would almost give it 4 stars, but there are some things which can't be excused. First of all, if you are interested in Irish history- rent it. Of course it will give you a biased viewpoint on Michael Collins- its hollywood. But if you study Irish history, you will find that care went into this film from the details- notice the pin that Alan Rickman as Eamon De Valera wears to show he speaks and supports Irish/Gaelic language. Real footage plays at the end (I won't give it away for you) with music that will make your heart swell whether you supported Collins or not. From the very beginning, the movie has the feel of the times. Excellent uniforms, costumes, scenery. Great lines delivered by Rickman and Neeson. Neeson and Rickman portray the parts of Collins and De Valera- in appearance, in mannerisms, in speech- excellently. Stephen Reyes also gave an excellent performance, for however brief his part, he delivers a believable character. Downfall- Julia Roberts, not entirely her fault though. Her Irish accent (also attempted in "Mary Reilly") made me cringe. This movie should be about Ireland's struggle, not romance-caught-amidst-the-war. Are we supposed to care about her choice between two men (and are we surprised that she chooses Collins?). It doesn't blend in with the storyline well at all. That's entertainment, I guess. And there's one scene with Roberts, Neeson, a rose and a bed, which flashes between violence and then back to Robert's dialogue to her love. It is one of the worst scenes in a movie I've ever seen. I don't know whether to laugh through the melodrama or fast forward it.

Whatever your viewpoint on the war, this film can still be of benefit. I am always happy to see any movie on Irish history and culture, and Michael Collins is a figure in it, like it or not. The division between Collins and De Valera is well done by script and actors alike, and will give a better understanding of the main forces behind the strife in Northern Ireland to the present.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A movie worth watching
Review: I badly wanted to see this movie when it came out in theatres, but I was home with my newborn boy so I settled for renting it months later. This film is spectacular - I love anything to do with Ireland as well as political figures so this was a treat for me. Liam Neeson is superb as the main character, Michael Collins, whom I had never heard of and learned about through watching this film. How historically accurate it is is debatable, but bear in mind this is just a movie. If you would like accurate historical facts, there are many books right here on amazon.com that provide just that. But this is just a movie, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.

This is a downright good film about a brave and passionate Irishman who loves his country and independence and will fight for them until death. (Which, of course, is his fate.) Collins struggles against English imperialism as almost all Northern Irishmen do, the difference being that Collins has wit and an extra boost of courage and will.

The cinematography is beautiful - very well done. The story moves along at a good pace and the rest of the actors are pretty good, too, except for Julia Roberts, whom I think should not have been in this film. Aidan Quinn is Collins' sidekick who seems to have a trivial role, but is good nonetheless.

Is Collins a terrorist? Is his character as portrayed in this movie a hero or a bad guy? Who actually killed him? (We see a young boy kill Michael Collins, but who put him up to it?) The answers are arguable and you will not actually find them in this movie. However, my amazon friends, this is a very moving film and one worth seeing more than once. I recommend it highly!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Life is possible, He made it possible.
Review: Liam Neeson portrays IRA founder Michael Collins, a self-described "West Cork muck savage" who became a brilliant tactician of unconvential warfare that threated the British empire's hold on one of their longest possessions - Ireland. A lot of history is crammed into this one film and for those unfamiliar with it, it may be slightly difficult to keep up. This exciting drama includes an excellent supporting cast including Alan Rickman as a near double for Ireland's first President Eamon De Valera and Stephen Rea as double agent inside Britian's secret police. Even when you know the outcome it keeps you in suspense - a true sign of a great film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Michael Collins
Review: brilliant!
I really think this is an excellent film and very well made.
The special effects were really good and I'd reccomend this film to anyone interested in Irish history.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mostly Accurate; Entirely Inspirational
Review: This movie was the best I've ever seen concerning The Troubles in Ireland. I would have enjoyed more of the film covering the Easter Revolution, but it did a wonderful job of mixing entertainment with history. Although nearly all of the film was fairly well grounded on fact, I was disappointed in Julia Roberts uninspiring performance. However Liam Nelson more than compinsated with his masterful job and played Michael Collins exactley the way I would of imagined him to be. This was an all-around wonderful movie capable of educating the uninformed and inspiring the knowledgeable.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Why did the film downplay Micahel Collin's acts of terror?
Review: "Michael Collins" was a financial disaster and aesthetically left much to be desired.  Cinematographer Chris Menges may have admirably put together a beautiful looking film, but the overall quality is less than a typical made for TV production. Neil Jordan was not up to the task as the movie's director, and it seems that he lacks the background to tackle a serious historical project. I say this as an admirer of some of Jordan's other superb efforts. Liam Neeson did an adequate job as Collins, but mostly the talents of Alan Rickman, Aidan Quinn, Julia Roberts, and Stephen Rea were unable to overcome the weaknesses of a mediocre script.

Why would any rational and decent person consider Michel Collins to be an Irish national hero? My most serious criticism deals with the less than frank handling of his career as a terrorist. Far too much time was spent on his later peacemaking efforts. Unfortunately, Collins will primarily go down in history for furthering the terrorist mindset that threatens modern day civilization.  Many terrorists throughout the world studied the work of Collins.  He is one of their Messiahs.  We should never forget that Collins murdered innocent people to achieve his political aims. Previous to Collins and a few others in the early part of the twentieth century, such activity was considered monstrous and unthinkable.

Why did the makers of "Michael Collins" downplay the terrorist aspects of his past?  This question demands an answer especially after the horror of September 11.  The movie deserves only three stars.  Those who might wish to learn a bit more about terrorism might find "Michael Collins" worthy enough to invest a few hours of their time. If anything, this movie speaks volumes about those who desire to pretend that Collins was something other than a monster.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Utter nonsense
Review: This film really is appalingly bad!Badly researched,badly scripted and badly cast.If you want an utterly bias account of the easter rising,buy this,if you don't want a completely bias account,read a history book!AVOID!!!


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