Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)

Director:

Kari Skogland

Writers:

Martin McGartland (inspired by the book "Fifty Dead Man Walking") and
Nicholas Davies (inspired by the book "Fifty Dead Man Walking") ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Based on Martin McGartland's shocking real life story. Martin is a young lad from west Belfast in the...

Plot Keywords:

IRA | 1980s | What Happened To Epilogue | Riot Police | Slot Machine

Awards:

7 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Ben Kingsley	...	Fergus
Jim Sturgess	...	Martin
Kevin Zegers	...	Sean
Natalie Press	...	Lara
Rose McGowan	...	Grace
Tom Collins	...	Mickey
William Houston	...	Ray
Michael McElhatton	...	Robbie
Laura Hughes	...	Mary
Gerard Jordan	...	Kieran
David Pearse	...	Donovan
Joe Doyle	...	Quinn
Conor MacNeill	...	Frankie (as Connor McNeill)
Evan Harte	...	Little Patrick (as Evan)
Oscar Harte	...	Little Patrick
Ciaran Nolan	...	Connie
Ali White	...	Lara's Mother
Frankie McCafferty	...	Paddy
Matt McArdle	...	Ambulance Attendant
Tomas O'Suilleabhain	...	RUC Officer (as Thomas O'Suilleabhanin)
Dessie Gallagher	...	Thomas - Head Officer
Kris Edlund	...	Mrs. Conlon
Sheila Kerr	...	Doris (as Shelia Kerr)
Nick Dunning	...	Doctor
Paschal Friel	...	Jana (as Pascal Friel)
George McMahon	...	Johnny
Gavin O'Connor	...	Officer White / RUC Officer
Paul Kennedy	...	RUC Officer
Gerry Doherty	...	Fred - CID
Derek Halligan	...	McFarlane
James Doran	...	IRA Kidnapper
Michael Graham	...	Officer Clark
Anthony Brophy	...	Johnathan
Henry Deazley	...	Soldier
Nathan Hughes	...	Waiter
Karen Hassan	...	Mother
Brigid Erin Bates	...	Woman (as Bridgid Erin Bates)
Drew Thompson	...	Check Point Officer
Seamus Ball	...	Young Man's Father
Jonathan Harden	...	Young Man's Brother
Alexandra Ford	...	Nurse
Chris Patrick-Simpson	...	Tortured Tout (as Chris Patrick Simpson)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Laurence Doherty	...	Owner of Raided House (uncredited)
Damian McDonald	...	Medic (uncredited)

Directed by
Kari Skogland

Writing credits
Martin McGartland		(inspired by the book "Fifty Dead Man Walking") and
Nicholas Davies		(inspired by the book "Fifty Dead Man Walking")
Kari Skogland		(written by)

Produced by
Nicole Carmen-Davis	....	executive producer
Elsie Choi	....	executive producer
Alice Clough	....	associate producer
Guy Collins	....	executive producer
Cindy Cowan	....	executive producer
Karyn Edwards	....	executive producer
Stephen Hegyes	....	producer
Jo Homewood	....	line producer
Stephen Kaye	....	associate producer (as Stephen Kay)
Amanda Kenyon	....	associate producer
Peter La Terriere	....	producer
Kyle Lundberg	....	executive producer
Stephen Margolis	....	executive producer
Michael Ryan	....	executive producer
Jonathan Shore	....	associate producer
Kari Skogland	....	producer
Shawn Williamson	....	producer

Original Music by
Ben Mink

Cinematography by
Jonathan Freeman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jim Munro

Casting by
John Hubbard		(as Jon Hubbard)
Ros Hubbard

Production Design by
Eve Stewart

Art Direction by
David Hindle

Costume Design by
Stephanie Collie

Makeup Department
Liz Boston	....	assistant hair stylist
Liz Boston	....	assistant makeup artist
Kirstin Chalmers	....	hair designer
Kirstin Chalmers	....	makeup designer
Kornelia Daniel	....	assistant hair stylist
Kornelia Daniel	....	assistant makeup artist
Laura Lilley	....	assistant makeup artist
Laura Lilley	....	hair assistant
Waldo Mason	....	prosthetics maker
Lisa McConville	....	assistant hair stylist
Lisa McConville	....	assistant makeup artist
Clare Ramsey	....	hair stylist
Clare Ramsey	....	makeup artist
Laura Schiavo	....	makeup supervisor
Sian Wilson	....	hair trainee
Sian Wilson	....	makeup trainee

Production Management
Emanuel Pereira	....	post-production supervisor
Karen Richards	....	production manager
Jonathan Shore	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Bennett	....	second second assistant director
Scott Bunce	....	second assistant director
Max Keene	....	first assistant director
Max Keene	....	second unit director

Art Department
Jim Barr	....	dressing prop
Bryony Birkbeck	....	production buyer
Dermot Blighe	....	stand-by props
Julia Castle	....	art department coordinator
Alan Chesters	....	construction manager
Michael Cullen	....	dressing prop
McCoy Dan	....	painter
Sara Hayward	....	stand-by art director
Tommy Hilland	....	painter
Leon McCarthy	....	assistant art director
Anne-Louise McGinnis	....	art department runner
Neil McNally	....	props trainee
Amy Merry	....	graphic designer
Christopher Moore	....	stand-by props (as Chris Moore)
David Rowney	....	art department trainee
Paul Stewart	....	property master

Sound Department
Anke Bakker	....	sound supervisor
Brian Campbell	....	dialogue editor
Jay Cheetham	....	background sound editor
Dario DiSanto	....	foley editor
Kris Fenske	....	sound designer
Judah Getz	....	adr mixer
Graeme Hughes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Laura Kerr	....	sound assistant
Jörg Klaussner	....	dubbing mixer
Nick Kray	....	adr mixer
Shaula Lumley	....	sound effects editor: intro video
Terry McDonald	....	sound assistant
Mervyn Moore	....	sound mixer
Andrew Morgado	....	adr mixer
Glen Noseworthy	....	foley recordist
Iain Pattison	....	sound re-recording mixer
Adam Ridge	....	boom operator
Paul A. Sharpe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joshua Stevenson	....	assistant dialogue editor
Jean Tejkel	....	walla mixer
Matthew Wilson	....	sound effects editor
Garret Farrell	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Vincent Kivlehan	....	special effects technician
Kevin Mathews	....	wire effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Dan Brittain	....	digital compositor
Christopher Elke	....	visual effects producer: Technicolor Vancouver
John Fukushima	....	digital compositor
Doug Oddy	....	visual effects supervisor
Persis Reynolds	....	visual effects executive producer: Technicolor Vancouver
Matt Yeoman	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Rob Cooper	....	stunt double: Jim Sturgess
Matt Da Silva	....	stunt performer
Aldonio Danny Freitas	....	stunt double: David Pearse
Levan Doran	....	stunt double
James Embree	....	stunt performer
Rick English	....	stunt performer
Steve Griffin	....	stunts
Sy Hollands	....	stunt coordinator
Paul Lowe	....	stunt performer
Marc Mailley	....	stunt double: Conor MacNeill
Giedrius Nagys	....	stunts
James O'Donnell	....	stunt actor
Donal O'Farrell	....	stunt performer
Peter Pedrero	....	stunts
Andy Pilgrim	....	stunt performer
John Street	....	stunt performer
Roy Taylor	....	stunt performer
Reg Wayment	....	military advisor
Steen Young	....	stunt performer
Philippe Zone	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Ian Buckley	....	key grip
Ron Coe	....	second assistant camera
Sean Connor	....	first assistant camera
Grace Donaldson	....	grip: second unit
Andy Gardner	....	second assistant camera
Steven Livingstone	....	electrician
Seamus Lynch	....	electrician
Ryan Marshall	....	camera tracking driver
Davie Mayes	....	electrician
Sean McKeown	....	rigger
David O'Connor	....	grip
Chris Plevin	....	camera operator
Peter Wignall	....	camera operator
Peter Wignall	....	second director of photography
Ruth Woodside	....	camera trainee

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joanna Campbell	....	costume supervisor
Kerry Gooding	....	daily costume assistant
Rebecca Hill	....	costume assistant
Vidya Krishnamurthy	....	assistant costume designer
Stephen O'Rawe	....	daily costume assistant
Alison Pascoe	....	costume trainee
Heather Long	....	daily costume assistant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
James Cowan	....	digital intermediate artist
Kate Kroll	....	post-production coordinator
Koah Kruse	....	post-production coordinator
Rhys Lloyd	....	digital intermediate producer
Ken MacKenzie	....	imaging technician
Thor Roos	....	digital intermediate artist
Helen Sheridan	....	assistant editor: UK
Rachael Watmough	....	dailies producer
Kyle Cunningham	....	executive sales assistant: Technicolor Creative Services Vancouver (uncredited)

Music Department
Hal Beckett	....	supervising music editor
Mikael Carlsson	....	soundtrack producer
Meagan Carsience	....	music editor
Ian Neil	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Ken Cathcart	....	unit driver
Tom Heaney	....	unit driver (as Tom Heany)
Steven Herron	....	unit driver
Allan Keys	....	transportation captain
Ian Lewis	....	driver: make up truck
Ryan Marshall	....	unit driver
Roy McManus	....	driver: grip truck

Other crew
Helen Allibone	....	crowd coordinator
Andrea Bamford	....	production assistant
Bannister Bergen	....	creative executive
Kate Bone	....	assistant coordinator
Denise Bonney	....	assistant: Karyn Edwards
Alexandra Bouillon	....	production coordinator (as Alex Monro)
Lisa Byrne	....	production assistant
Neal Clarance	....	chartered accountant
Sarah Crawford	....	post production accountant
Farnaz Donovan	....	assistant accountant
Mia Gray	....	cashier
Brendan Gunn	....	dialogue coach
Kirsten Hansen	....	creative executive
Fred Hedman	....	international sales
Nora Henderson	....	floor runner
David K. Henry	....	production financing
Patrick Isherwood	....	production accountant (as Pat Isherwood)
Stephen Kirk	....	floor runner
Margo MacPherson	....	assistant: Shawn Williamson
Melissa Malone	....	assistant: Karyn Edwards
Jessie McAllan	....	director of operations
Leona McCarren	....	floor runner
Christine McClune	....	production assistant
Anne-Louise McGinnis	....	production assistant
Vikki Mickel	....	finance director
Kelly Smiley	....	assistant: Ben Kingsley
Stephanie Swedlove	....	assistant: Stephen Hegyes
Drew Van Wyk	....	assistant to Kevin Zegers
Ki Wight	....	development and business affairs executive
Richard Wilson	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Handmade International (presents) (as Handmade International Films)
• Future Films (producer)
• Brightlight Pictures (produced in association with)
• Future Films Production Services (produced in association with)
• Altitude Entertainment (produced in association with)
• SBK Pictures (produced in association with) (as SBK Pictures Limited)
• Skogland Films (produced in association with)
• Téléfilm Canada (produced with the participation of) (as Telefilm Canada)
• Northern Ireland Screen (produced with the participation of)
• Grove Media Finance (produced with the participation of) (as Grove Media Finance Limited)
• Horizon Media Fund (produced with the participation of)
• Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) (produced with the participation of)

Distributors

• Cathay-Keris Films (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• European Film Partners (EFP) (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Metrodome Distribution (2009) (UK) (theatrical)
• Phase 4 Films (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• TVA Films (2009) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2009) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Home Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• FS Film Oy (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• Film1 (2010) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Imagem Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Metrodome Video Ltd. (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Metrodome Video Ltd. (2009) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Movie Bank (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Odeon (2011) (Greece) (all media)
• Phase 4 Films (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Phase 4 Films (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Roadshow Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Technicolor Creative Services (visual effects) (as Technicolor Creative Services, Vancouver)

Other Companies

• ARRI Media  camera equipment
• Axis Films  camera equipment
• BBC Motion Gallery  footage provided by
• Background, The  group adr and voice casting
• Compuhire  24 frame playback
• De Lane Lea  adr facility (as DeLane Lea)
• Eastside Communications  publicity: Germany)
• Film Finances Canada  completion guarantor
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Line 21 Media Services Ltd.  closed captioning
• Line 21 Media Services Ltd.  combined dialogue, continuity & spotting list
• Line 21 Media Services Ltd.  post-production script
• MovieScore Media  soundtrack
• Production Depot  camera equipment provided by
• Screen Scene  adr facility
• Sharpe Sound Studios  audio post-production
• Shoot NI  phones and walkie talkies
• Sonic Magic  sound post-production
• Soundtrack  ADR Facility
• Technicolor Creative Services  digital intermediate (as Technicolor Creative Services, Vancouver)
• Technicolor Creative Services  dailies services (as Technicolor Creative Services, London)

Also Known As:

"50 Dead Men Walking" - USA (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong brutal violence and torture, language and some sexuality

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #45565) | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:MA (2010)

Filming Locations:

Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK

Company:

Handmade International

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Marty is driving the taxi at night in the early part of the film a car can clearly be seen in front of his. This is supposed to be set in 1988 yet the car in front is a Ford which dates 2006 at least.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References "Sesame Street" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Babylon's Burning

A Nutshell Review: Fifty Dead Men Walking

The main attraction of this story is not of the violent politicking between the British and the IRA, where you see how either side become both the oppressed and the oppressor with their imposition of rules and regulations executed sometimes on a whim. This film doesn't seek out to preach the truth and has from the start stated that it had taken plenty of liberties with the story, inspired by the true story of an undercover agent's role in the IRA, being a trusted source and informant to the British, until he was played out as a political pawn and had to forever be on the run. Welcome to the world of clandestine operations, where the only rule of the game is to survive.

It takes a lot to go undercover and work as a mole. This duality is already very keenly spelled out in films such as Infernal Affairs (OK, so this is a very referenced film, but one to me that had raised the bar up so high), where one can be seduced by sheer power, or corruption of morality that one's supposed to be guarded against. It's no fun having to play act all the time, constantly looking over your shoulder at every turn, and practically living in fear that you'll be discovered due to carelessness, and be dished out punishment with unimaginable pain as just desserts.

Fifty Dead Men Walking refers to the number of persons that were saved from one man's diligent work as an undercover, without whom they would be sitting ducks to assassination attempts. In being timely to surface credible information to thwart would-be incidents, you're always be put in a position where your identity will be compromised, since the number of "moles"eliminated with each unsuccessful operation, will narrow the shortlist down to a few suspects. For Martin McGartland (Jim Sturgess), a wayward youth in Belfast who doesn't take sides, he becomes the perfect cover for British Intelligence officer Fergus (Ben Kingsley), who has to convince the former of his value to the cause, the British and not the Irish one that is.

So it's not just the usual Spy versus Spy where the source Martin becomes a hero overnight, but the film traces the long and arduous road of his rise into the inner echelons, while feeding off from the support of his handler Fergus to occasionally bail him out of tight situations. It's very much based on the themes of trust and betrayal. For Martin, with every step of trust that he gains from the IRA head honchos, it's also a proportional step of betrayal that's at his disposal, with each disclosure of operational plans and targets to Fergus. And trust is not easy between him and Fergus as well, and both of them knows it very clearly that either has the power within them, at any time, to call off this understanding of truce between both men, and betray the other.

It's a film that dwells on these themes successfully, and both Sturgess and Kingsley bring their characters quite alive by their electrifying portrayals of men trying to do the right thing, to make their worlds a better place to live in and save the lives of innocents on both sides. Besides being just plain handler and source, their professional relationship grows from the testing phase where negotiated chips sometimes don't get fulfilled, to a father-son one as they realize that they only have each other to depend on, as the big picture politics start to get in the way and threaten their solid partnership. Both actors feed off this great chemistry between them to bring out common elation with each successful stint, and fear when things start to go awry.

And with success breeds contempt, which puts the last 20 minutes of the film into a gripping but eventually emotional finale, that roads paved with good intentions more often than not, lead to Hell, or in McGartland's case, an everlasting personal torture. As with all clandestine operations, a pawn who grows too successful will garner unwanted attention from those who are morally corrupt, and basically there's no such thing as a thank you note of gratitude, only instances of how useful one can be constantly. When you outlive your usefulness, expect to be tossed out like the rest of the thrash.

What sagged the film was the attempt to provide more dimension to Martin McGartland through his romantic life, in the form of live-in girlfriend Lara (Natalie Press) and a Mata Hari-type temptress and boss Grace (Rose McGowan), both of which became somewhat of a distraction to the flow of the narrative, especially the needless un-seductive moves of the latter. Otherwise, Ben Kingsley and Jim Sturgess' performances should draw you into the film, as would the themes and premise of the film.