MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 77 this week

Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)

 -  Drama | Thriller  -  21 August 2009 (USA)
6.8
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 6.8/10 from 7,150 users   Metascore: 57/100
Reviews: 29 user | 72 critic | 16 from Metacritic.com

Based on Martin McGartland's shocking real life story. Martin is a young lad from west Belfast in the late 1980s who is recruited by the British Police to spy on the IRA. He works his way ... See full summary »

Director:

Writers:

(inspired by the book "Fifty Dead Man Walking"), (inspired by the book "Fifty Dead Man Walking"), 1 more credit »
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 620 titles created 06 Jun 2011
 
a list of 1451 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 1375 titles created 30 Dec 2011
 
a list of 1024 titles created 12 Aug 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)

Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008) on IMDb 6.8/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Fifty Dead Men Walking.
7 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.5/10 X  

In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Stars: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch
The Debt I (2010)
Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

1965, three Mossad agents cross into East Berlin to apprehend a notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, the secrets the agents share come back to haunt them.

Director: John Madden
Stars: Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Ciarán Hinds
Disturbia (2007)
Drama | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A teen living under house arrest becomes convinced his neighbor is a serial killer.

Director: D.J. Caruso
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss
Unthinkable (2010)
Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A psychological thriller centered around a black-ops interrogator and an FBI agent who press a suspect terrorist into divulging the location of three nuclear weapons set to detonate in the U.S.

Director: Gregor Jordan
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Michael Sheen
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.

Director: Mary Harron
Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas
Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

In Washington, D.C., a female reporter faces a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to reveal her source.

Director: Rod Lurie
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett
The Wave (2008)
Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A high school teacher's unusual experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.

Director: Dennis Gansel
Stars: Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt
Black Swan (2010)
Drama | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X  

A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
Drama | History | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life.

Director: Robert De Niro
Stars: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin
Amores Perros (2000)
Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X  

A horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life's harsh realities, all in the name of love.

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Stars: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo
Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly vicious things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Stars: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller
Syriana (2005)
Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A politically-charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved and affected by it.

Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Kayvan Novak, George Clooney, Matt Damon
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Fergus
...
Martin
...
Sean
...
Lara
...
Tom Collins ...
Mickey
...
Ray
...
Robbie
Laura Hughes ...
Mary
...
Kieran
...
Donovan
Joe Doyle ...
Quinn
Conor MacNeill ...
Frankie (as Connor McNeill)
Evan Harte ...
Little Patrick (as Evan)
Oscar Harte ...
Little Patrick
Edit

Storyline

Based on Martin McGartland's shocking real life story. Martin is a young lad from west Belfast in the late 1980s who is recruited by the British Police to spy on the IRA. He works his way up the ranks as a volunteer for the IRA whilst feeding information to his British handler and saving lives in the process. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

When you cross the line there's no going back.

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence and torture, language and some sexuality | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

|

Language:

Release Date:

21 August 2009 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

50 Dead Men Walking  »

Box Office

Budget:

£6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£99,440 (UK) (10 April 2009)

Gross:

£99,440 (UK) (10 April 2009)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Marty walks into the bakery to see his girlfriend and child, a 'Scores on the Doors' sign is visible on the door as he opens it - 'Scores on the Doors' didn't come into effect until 2005 while the events in the film are set in and around 1990. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Fergus: His name is Martin McGartland, and when I met him he was an unemployed Catholic hood selling stolen goods.
See more »

Connections

References Sesame Street (1969) See more »

Soundtracks

"Hit the Ground Running"
Written by Campbell, Donnelly
Performed by Phoenix 23
Published by Copyright Control
Licensed courtesy of Phoenix 23
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Woefully Underrated
19 June 2010 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

I've never written a review before and don't really feel very qualified to do so, but I felt so strongly about this film that I wanted to do more to recommend it than giving the star rating.

Jim Sturgess turns in an incredibly moving and amazing performance as Martin, the young man who gets caught up with the IRA via his friends, only to be turned by "Fergus," played by Kingsley in a very different and understated role than we're used to seeing him.

Martin is torn between the cause and his friends vs. the ever-growing violence against innocents. He becomes a father and ultimately decides to be a source for Fergus, infiltrating deep and high into the organization. We live through his angst, fright, joy, sorrow, regret, rage and pride as he evolves.

Kingsley's portrayal of Fergus -- a hard and closed-off guy who comes to uncharacteristically care deeply about Martin -- is played brilliantly, with just the right low-key nuance in manner of speaking and facial expression that allow you to see his emotional wall crumbling a bit for Martin.

But there are costs for Martin regardless which path he takes, just a grim and sad result of the fractious climate between the IRA and British soldiers/police.

The storyline, the style of filming (sorry, I'm not adept with technical terms), the wonderful development of the Martin character (and to a lesser extent, Fergus), along with the incredible performance by Sturgess (I would go so far as to say even Oscar-worthy) really make this film memorable and worth your time.


23 of 30 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
I could not understand the dialog, so I give this a ZERO rating rafferman-1
What's the motivation? SnoopyStyle
Realistic Portrayal of the IRA? telboybk
What made the Catholics turn against the British troops? epa101
6.4/10??? Bradklammer
re-record the dialogue?? momoko0726
Discuss Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?