'71 (2014)

In 1971, a young and disorientated British soldier is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the deadly streets of Belfast.

Director:

Yann Demange

Writer:

Gregory Burke

Stars:

Jack O'Connell, Sam Reid, Sean Harris

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 13 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack O'Connell	...	Gary Hook
Jack Lowden	...	Thommo
Paul Popplewell	...	Training Corporal
Adam Nagaitis	...	Jimmy
Joshua Hill	...	Carl
Ben Williams-Lee	...	Recruit Soldier
Jonah Russell	...	Barracks Officer
Harry Verity	...	Darren
Peter McNeil O'Connor	...	Warden
Babou Ceesay	...	Corporal
Sam Reid	...	Lt. Armitage
James McArdle	...	Sergeant
Sam Hazeldine	...	C.O.
Sean Harris	...	Captain Sandy Browning
Paul Anderson	...	Sergeant Leslie Lewis

Storyline

A young British soldier is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a terrifying riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, the raw recruit must survive the night alone and find his way to safety through a disorienting, alien and deadly landscape.

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Plot Keywords:

british soldier | irish republican army | year 1971 | ireland | belfast northern ireland | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, and language throughout

Did You Know?

Trivia

Heavy metal band 'Derision' filmed their music video 'Predation' at Liverpool Newsham Park Hospital a few weeks after filming wrapped for '71. The abandoned hospital was used as a fictional barracks. When the band and crew arrived they discovered the set from the film still intact complete with sand bags and barbwire. As the music video was Zombie themed it fit perfectly, and the set from '71 appears in the opening scenes of the music video.

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Goofs

Various streets in the film show modern lamp posts with high-pressure sodium lighting. Both did not exist in 1971. The would have been either mercury lamps or older electric/ gas lamps. Until the mid 1970s, most laps would have been housed on older trolley bus poles.

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Quotes

Eamon: I'm not going to lie to you.
[pauses for several seconds]
Eamon: This is going to hurt like a fucker.

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Connections

Featured in Projector: The Imitation Game/'71 (2014)

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Soundtracks

THE SKY IS CRYING
Written and Performed by Elmore James
Published by EMI Music Publishing Limited
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Inc

User Reviews

The best film on 'the Troubles' so far

In 1971 I was living on the fringes of Derry's Bogside. On several occasions my home was 'collateral damage' in a number of bombings and I remember lying on the floor of my bedroom in case I might fall victim to a stray bullet from one of the gun-battles raging outside. I drank in pubs that would be bombed in time and I was on the march on Bloody Sunday. Things were bad in Derry in 1971 but they were a lot worse in Belfast which is where and when Yann Demange's terrific movie "'71" is set. Maybe it's because I had first-hand experience but I've never really taken to films about 'the Troubles'. Irish film-makers have usually shied away from the subject, (a rare good exception being Jim Sheridan's "In the Name of the Father" and that was set mostly in England), leaving it up to the English and the Americans to tackle them, mostly ineptly, (exceptions again being Alan Clarke's made-for-television film "Elephant" and Steve McQueen's "Hunger"), so my expectations of "'71" were far from high, yet I believe this will be the film about the Northern Ireland 'Troubles' by which all others will be judged. Firstly nothing happens on screen that seems far-fetched or exaggerated, (and here is a film that doesn't pull its punches in showing the collusion between the British Government and paramilitaries on both sides). It's a film that could never have been made in the seventies and even 20 years ago it would have been banned here in Northern Ireland. Politically, it's dynamite but it's as a nail-biting, nerve-shredding thriller that it really makes its mark. In may respects it's a very minimalist work, taking place almost entirely over the course of one night and is really made up of two lengthy set-pieces. It's about Private Hook, (a superb Jack O'Connell), a young British solider who, on his first day of active service in Belfast, is separated from his platoon and forced to go on the run in a totally alien landscape where he is seen as 'the enemy' to be hunted down and killed. We've seen this story before. In "Odd Man Out" James Mason was the IRA man on the run in an equally treacherous Belfast but as they say, it's a tale as old as time. Outstanding American examples have included "Deliverance" and "Southern Comfort", albeit in very different settings, but few have packed the punch of "'71"; this is a terrifyingly tense thriller.

It's also the feature debut of Yann Demange who handles the material with all the assurance of a Paul Greengrass. He shoots it as if it were a newsreel, using mostly a hand-held camera, (the DoP is Tat Radcliffe), putting the audience in the centre of things. For once, all the performances are superb. In the past actors playing either Ulstermen or the occupying forces have often been reduced to nothing more than mouth-pieces; not here. Everyone on screen is utterly believable. This is one of the finest films you will see all year.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

'71

Filming Locations:

Stansfield Street and Bank Top, Blackburn, Lancashire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$55,761, 1 March 2015

Gross USA:

$1,270,847

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,062,178

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film 4, British Film Institute (BFI), Screen Yorkshire

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1