Shadow Dancer [Blu-ray]

This movie was missing something that handicaps the great cast, acting and somber mood from developing into a great story that is seldom told of the informants for the British Government. Mac (Clive Owen) is a agent for MI-5 (Britians version of the FBI ) working to thwart IRA terrorist attacks in Britian and Ireland. He has been working for 8 months to recruit an informant when he catches a break when a bomb placed in "The Tube" (a London subway) doesn't detonate carried by Collette (Andrea Riseborourgh). Collette agrees to Mac's terms to avoid prison and more importantly not to loose her young son. Collette and her son will be be placed in a witness protection program after completing her assignment. There is a background story to Collette's story that I have skipped over that deals with guilt and tragedy. I think that this will give you an idea of what this story is about. Ther is much more to this story, but I don't want to spoil it for you. As I stated earlier the casting and acting are the saving grace to this story, but the direction other than getting very good performances from the cast was lacking. The real culprit from my perspective is the writing and the total lack of background on the IRA (Catholic) and Protestants UVF, LVF, UDA, UFF conflict. Early in the conflict it was more about class than religion with the Catholics representing the poor and the Protestants representing the upper class. Ireland never changed religions after 1000 A.D. like the English did when they switched from Catholicism to Protestant around 1500 A.D. When the English started plantations in Ireland they aquired the land with less than ideal terms for the Irish. This was one of the issues that fueled the animosity towards England. I can't forget that freedom from Englands rule was also an issue. Now you have a very short history of the conflict. This omitted history is key to helping people from other countries to better understand this story. It was like starting a book halfway through it and not knowing what its really about. Without this critical info we aren't allowed to see the passion that drove these people to do the horrible things they did. The story does not even mention the Protestants UVF etc. or their cause. We only witness a couple of events that tear the families apart from the conflict. We are shown the extreme measures that the IRA and the British government are willing to take to either get an informant or to kill one. The other hardships that we see is from Mac and Collette trying to keep a promise and stay alive. There is two twists at the end you may or may not like. Was this worth the time to watch? YES. I am in the minority with my review on this movie, but I don't feel that it warrants any more than 3 stars. The writer and director left to much out of the story and it suffers from the lack of background info.Rating 0 to 5 stars.Story = 3- Lacks In need of conflict background.Acting = 4+ Very Good.Direction = 3 Lacks depthMood = 4+ Very somberViolence = 2 Scenes of water torture and a shooting from a distance.Gore = 1 Two dead persons and some blood.Sex/Nudity = No/NoFoul language = Yes, but reserved.Entertainment Value = 3 The great acting and mood carries this movie.

Awesome reality!

This stark, powerful film serves as a grim reminder of the massive number of killings and violent uprisings perpetrated by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) as recently as the 1990s in Ireland. Early efforts to initiate a "peace process" were challenged by the IRA and various other para-military groups with a gush of fury and vitriol. Somehow, a peace accord gained traction and in time the first cease-fires were declared. In 2008, the IRA announced the dismantling of its army. Since then, the IRA has been classified as a proscribed terrorist group in the UK and as an illegal organization in Ireland. However, as recently as 2012, vigilante groups loyal to the IRA have engaged in para-military operations. "Shadow Dancer" resurrects harsh memories of brazen unrepentant violence, useless torture, and killings perpetrated by the IRA during the mid-nineties. We're reminded loyalty to the IRA trumps family loyalties. This alone keeps us from being able to identify the enemy and anticipate the story's outcome. The focus of the film is a family whose unwavering loyalty to the IRA is shaken to the core when a family member is recruited by a CIA-type government agency in Ireland developed to try to end-run and close down IRA activity. The story is gripping. The movie is brutal and as Machiavellian as the real-life stories that played out in Northern Ireland in the nineties. You can rent the film from Amazon. Report back to let us know if you liked it.

Loved this movie! It didn't cover any 'new' ground with regards to the IRA/UK conflict referred to as "the troubles" if you know your history. Others have said this is a bit like picking up a movie/story half way thru and you struggle to catch up to what's going on before the film is done. Their is truth to that but the 'simple story' here is MI5 is always trying to get informants inside the IRA to turn on their comrades so they can foil attacks and catch the terrorists. Clive Owen does a good job here as the MI5 Agent running his informant. You get zero back story on him but it matters little in the overall course of events. Gillian Anderson from the X-Files is his Boss looking gorgeous but what IS she doing in a British Spy film? The plot moves slowly at times & the dialogue is hard to understand--but the film has subtitles--thank you! This would just be an 'ordinary,forgettable' little movie about the problems in Ireland in the 90's and then....the surprise ending comes and WOW it just made this movie rock for me. Highly recommended if your a fan of Clive or MI5 the great BBC TV show.

Very much a character study where the movie arcs from the intensity of the main character embedded in the IRA of the 90s. Was a good movie with solid acting though feeling more like a BBC mini series vs theatrical release. The surprise ending reminiced of the 40s film noir with Robert Mitchum. Stark! Gillian Anderson of X-Files pulls off a believable English accent as a coperative manager in the secret service but not sure if I caught the sub plots of covert activities or context of the bitterness between nations of Brit and Ire.

I thought I'd really like this movie. It has some of my favorite actors: Clive Owens and even Gillian Anderson (her tiny part really disappointed me) since she barely appeared. But aside from that, the movie lacked the right connections for the viewer to make sense of what is the tragic conflict between England and Ireland. How did the MI5 guys know exactly what door the Irish mole was going to come out of, for example. We know the year and place of the story's beginnings: Belfast 1963 followed by London 1993, but after that the transition is unexplained. Where were we? London or Belfast? Well, you get my point. It could have been a great movie with a good and unexpected ending. Instead it was just so-so.Grace in Simi Valley

This is a clever, well-directed thriller set in the troubles in Northen Island. Murky u derhand dealings are held together by a really convincing portrait of an British agent out of his depth by Clive Owen.

Outstanding story. Outstanding direction. Outstanding acting.It is a pity that these kind of films come so few and far between,but at least they do...OK. This is a complex political thriller, based in the "Troubles"in Northern Ireland, during the 1990s... That's all I am gonna sayabout it... If you like realist dramas, with a twist, this is for you...Intelligent cinema, at it's best.

Tried very hard to watch the whole thing but was halfway through the movie and was not impressed. Thought with a cast like Andrea Riseborough, Gillian Anderson and Clive Owen that there would be a bit more punch to it.. but, it was just.. well, boring.I knew nothing about "the troubles" when I started this movie, I think I know less after watching it.

Very good version of Tom Bradby's spy book. Well made and very watchable. Seller was quick to send item and it arrived safely. Buy with confidence from this seller.

I only watched part of it, as I found it uninteresting. From what I saw of it, I think it is more of a woman's film about the 'troubles,'not that I was expecting it to have more action. It is basically, about how the t'troubles' affected a young woman.