I love movies from this timeperiod. They carry a vibe that's gone in modern day movies. Different camera action, less pace (even action movies) and a different psychology of the characters. TDO is not the best movie of it's genre, but Ford and Pitt bring a lot of weight to it. Pitt is charming as always, but is also convincing portraying a ruthless IRA commander. A decent script, lovely irish accents and convincing motives for the characters make this a nice movie for a sunday afternoon.

A quick survey of the reviews here, especially those from the United Kingdom and Ireland aren't exactly thrilled with the way the Irish troubles are presented. And it seems that nearly everybody doesn't like Brad Pitt's accent. I wonder what he did to prepare for the part. When he was in Sleepers playing an Assistant District Attorney, it was reported to me by friends who worked there that Brad spent some time just hanging around the Manhattan DA's office soaking up the atmosphere. It begs the question what he did and where he hung around to play Frankie McGuire, IRA terrorist.

Well the truce is holding there as I write these words. We can certainly pray it stays that way. I've always felt that the dirty little secret of Ireland is that the Republic long ago accommodated itself to losing those six counties and rejoiced in the fact it was the United Kingdom that had to deal with the problems. Looking at it that way it does make for the fact that all the violence seems to have been for naught.

But The Devil's Own does contain some universal truths. It's easy to make a terrorist if you've been through what Brad Pitt's character saw as a child. The Royal Ulster Constabulary could be every bit as nasty as the IRA was. Pitt saw his father shot down at the family dinner table as a child by masked gunmen. Knowing that we understand why he grew up the way he did. Grew up to become a most wanted person by the British.

After barely escaping from a gun battle with the British officials, Pitt gets a mission to go to New York and negotiate a purchase for stinger missiles from gangster Treat Williams. His directions come from George Hearn, who's a wealthy Irish American businessman who sends the IRA money, but never puts his own life on the line.

To keep his cover Hearn arranges for Pitt to stay with police sergeant Harrison Ford who is also of Irish background, but has no dealings at all with the politics of his ancestral home. Ford's a very upright and moral individual and he and Pitt form a bond that gets shattered when he finds out who he's opened his home to. Later on Pitt kills Ford's partner, Ruben Blades, during an escape and Ford takes it on himself to hunt him down.

Despite an accent that is making real Irish people cringe, both Pitt and Ford give moving performances in the film. I didn't find the film taking particular sides in this except why should the troubles of Ireland be visited on Harrison Ford and his family. If there is a villain in this film, that title should go to George Hearn without a doubt.

Friends tell me with the truce holding, the former IRA people finding little outlet for the skills acquired in terrorism now have gone into organized crime in a big way, especially in Belfast. It begs another question if Pitt survived to today, what might he be involved with now.

Given people's firm opinions on Ireland, I doubt if it is possible to make an Irish story that will satisfy all points of view. The Devil's Own isn't, but it does make a few valid points and is entertaining as well.

The latest IRA operation has been a failure and they suspect a setup. Frankie McGuire (Brad Pitt) is an IRA gunman who barely escaped from the battle, and is sent to America with an alternate identity Rory Devaney. Frankie is housed with NY cop Tom O'Meara (Harrison Ford) and his family (Margaret Colin, Julia Stiles...) who don't know Frankie's true identity. The two men slowly develops a friendship until Tom starts to suspect something's wrong with the newcomer.

The movie attempts to be a profound examination of loyalties in the Irish conflict. It just does it poorly despite the best efforts of the two leading men. The movie is well known for its troubled production and there's a chance that I've been influenced by it. After an exciting shoot-em-up battle in Northern Ireland, the story rambles on and on as we wait for something dramatic to happen. The dialog is lifeless and bland. The tension fades away until I don't really care about the characters even when something actually starts to happen.