Veronica Guerin (2003)

An Irish journalist writes a series of stories about drug dealers.

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers:

Carol Doyle (story), Carol Doyle (screenplay)

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell, Brenda Fricker

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cate Blanchett	...	Veronica Guerin
Gerard McSorley	...	John Gilligan
Ciarán Hinds	...	John Traynor
Brenda Fricker	...	Bernie Guerin
Don Wycherley	...	Chris Mulligan
Barry Barnes	...	Graham Turley
Simon O'Driscoll	...	Cathal Turley
Emmet Bergin	...	Aengus Fanning
Charlotte Bradley	...	Anne Harris
Mark Lambert	...	Willie Kealy
Garrett Keogh	...	Tony Gregory
Maria McDermottroe	...	Geraldine Gilligan
Paudge Behan	...	Brian Meehan
Joe Hanley	...	Eugene 'Dutchie' Holland
David Murray	...	Charles Bowden

Storyline

Based on a true story, this is about the Irish journalist Veronica Guerin (Cate Blanchett), a reporter for The Sunday Independent, who exposed some of Dublin's most powerful crime barons and drug lords in 1996. But later that year she was gunned down by assasins hired by the same criminal drug lords she exposed.

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Plot Keywords:

strong female lead | strong female character | tough woman | murder of a journalist | shooting a woman | 

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Taglines:

Why would anyone want to kill Veronica Guerin?

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some drug content

Details

Country:

Ireland UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chasing the Dragon: The Veronica Guerin Story

Filming Locations:

Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£271,996 (United Kingdom), 13 July 2003, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$611,276, 19 October 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,571,504, 6 June 2013

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,439,660, 6 June 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Persevere Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joan Allen was set to star as Veronica Guerin when John Mackenzie was still attached to direct. Allen had already played a thinly veiled version of Guerin in When the Sky Falls (2000) which Mackenzie directed.

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Goofs

While Guerin is in Dublin Airport with the Monk, signs for Terminal 1's Pier C departure gates are visible in the background. Pier C did not open until 2000.

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Quotes

Veronica Guerin: You think I want to do this, do ya? I don't want to do it, I have to do it!

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Crazy Credits

Disclaimer in closing credits: "Chris Mulligan is a fictional composite character based in part on several different people, and certain events in which the character is depicted have been fictionalised for dramatic effect."

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Connections

References Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000)

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Soundtracks

Funeral Song
Written by Harry Gregson-Williams, Hugh Marsh, Patrick Cassidy and Trevor Horn
Produced by Trevor Horn
Performed by Sinéad O'Connor

User Reviews

All the news fit to print

Joel Schumacher seems a strange choice for directing the film, before actually taking a look at the finished product. While the logical choice might have been someone like Neil Jordan, Mr. Schumacher makes the most of it with the material at hand. As usual, he is a director that likes to take chances, as he shows here.

This film came and went without being noticed in this country. Some movies go away quickly, which was the case with "Vernica Guerin". Having just seen it in DVD format, it deserved much better than oblivion from the distributing studio, or the many people deprived of seeing it when it first was released.

Veronica Guerin was a courageous woman who was not afraid for her life, even though there are a couple of instances that could have caused her death, before her actual demise. We see the events on a flashback, as the movie starts with the tragic events of Ms. Guerin's death. We watch her pursuing the people that had no scruples unloading drugs in impoverish areas of Ireland and laughing all the way to the bank with the millions they made illegally.

Cate Blanchett does a great job in her portrayal of Ms. Guerin. Not knowing what the real person was like, Ms. Blanchett bears an uncanny resemblance to the real woman. Cieran Hands, as John, the informer, is also quite good. Having seen him on the stage, he does an excellent turn as this evil man. Finally, Gerard McSorley is also what one would expect his John Gilligan to be; he makes Gilligan appear as the vermin he was. Brenda Fricker, as Veronica's mother, has only a few dignified moments on camera. The rest of the Irish actors were extremely good in contributing to create the right atmosphere for the movie.

This movie emphasizes the danger of drugs and the unscrupulous people that get rich out of the misery of others.