I went into this without much expectation, since I don't normally watch "true-story" films, but I was pleasantly surprised.
It's basically about a Belfast man recruited by British intelligence to spy on the IRA during the Troubles. After the starting "high", he begins to struggle with moral dilemmas, like informing on friends. In the meantime, his personal life becomes more complicated with a pregnant girlfriend and family troubles.
I enjoyed Ben Kingsley's character - the handler Fergus, and Jim Sturgess played Martin surprisingly well. The story moves along briskly, but still left a bit of time for you to ponder the choices being made. I thought the execution was well-done too. It really made you feel for the main characters - you can literally feel Martin's anguish (on so many levels) and Fergus' self-righteousness (deserved or not) at times.
Be aware though that the real Martin disavows the film though. So I'm now interested in reading the book so I can read his version of it.
It's basically about a Belfast man recruited by British intelligence to spy on the IRA during the Troubles. After the starting "high", he begins to struggle with moral dilemmas, like informing on friends. In the meantime, his personal life becomes more complicated with a pregnant girlfriend and family troubles.
I enjoyed Ben Kingsley's character - the handler Fergus, and Jim Sturgess played Martin surprisingly well. The story moves along briskly, but still left a bit of time for you to ponder the choices being made. I thought the execution was well-done too. It really made you feel for the main characters - you can literally feel Martin's anguish (on so many levels) and Fergus' self-righteousness (deserved or not) at times.
Be aware though that the real Martin disavows the film though. So I'm now interested in reading the book so I can read his version of it.