The Informant (1997)

A young IRA member is forced to turn informant on his comrades when he is caught in an assassination attempt on a judge.

Director:

Jim McBride

Writers:

Gerald Seymour (book), Nicholas Meyer (screenplay)

Stars:

Anthony Brophy, Cary Elwes, Timothy Dalton

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Brophy	...	Gingy McAnally
Cary Elwes	...	Lt. David Ferris
Timothy Dalton	...	DCI Rennie
Maria Lennon	...	Roisin McAnally
John Kavanagh	...	IRA Chief
Sean McGinley	...	Frankie Conroy
Frankie McCafferty	...	Dalton
Stuart Graham	...	Det. Astley
Gary Lydon	...	Det. McDonough
Sean Kearns	...	Det. Prentice
B.J. Hogg	...	Constable Goss
Ciarán Fitzgerald	...	Gerard McAnally
Virginia Cole	...	Roisin's Ma
Gary Lammin	...	Cpl. Jones
James Gaddas	...	British I.O.

Storyline

A young IRA member is forced to turn informant on his comrades when he is caught in an assassination attempt on a judge.

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Plot Keywords:

irish republican army | terrorism | ireland | independent film | based on book

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Taglines:

Even freedom has its price.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexuality and violence, including a rape scene

Details

Country:

Ireland USA

Language:

German English

Release Date:

2 January 1998 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Field of Blood

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Entertainment, Johnny Loves Suzie Productions, Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

149 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

In one scene, the Union Flag is upside down.

User Reviews

The best of its kind, so far

This is the best film about the troubles in Northern Ireland. Unlike Michael Collins, or In The Name of The Father, in this movie the IRA members are not shown as romantic quasi-heroes. They are shown as what they really are: fanatics, terrorists, capable of destroying the lives of not only the brits, their enemies, but also of many irish families who try to follow the normal course of their lives. The informant of the title is an ex-IRA assassin who makes a deal with the Ulster police, and gives the name of his employers. He and his family are then considered traitors of the irish cause, even though his wife, being more influenced by anti-brit irish propaganda, was against the so-called betrayal from the start. Not even she, the traditional anti-brit irish girl, escapes the turmoil that follows: in one scene, we see the poor wife being raped by an IRA ganglord, as some kind of punishment for her involvement on the betrayal. This is certainly a view of the subject never shown in recent films about the Northern Ireland theme. In the end, there is no "moderate faction of the IRA" to solve things up, as in other films, specially The Fighter, with Daniel Day-Lewis, but only the feeling that things go on unsolved...