'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 12 wins & 27 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 | year 1971 | ireland | behind enemy lines | urban setting | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,268,760, 3 May 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warp Films, Crab Apple Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gary Hook was originally intended to be from Lancashire. At Jack O'Connell's request, the script was rewritten so the character came from his birthplace of Derby, Derbyshire.

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Goofs

In the initial chase scene where Gary runs from the shooter he is fired at 32 times (including the first kill shot) from what seems like just one man's gun, we don't see the younger boy fire his gun at all. We also don't see any reloading as they are running at breakneck speed. This would be impossible from a small 1960's era 9mm Semi-automatic pistol which have at most 13 rounds in the magazine.

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Quotes

Mother in Raided House: For God's sake, will you never leave us alone?

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

CRY TO ME
Words and Music written by Bert Berns
Performed by Solomon Burke
Published by Sony/ ATV Music Publishing (UK) Limited, EMI Music Publishing Ltd, and Bert Russell Music LLC
Licensed courtesy of Warner Records Ltd

User Reviews

Uses the setting well to create tension, but also struggles with the weight of it too

I will be honest and say that I generally am touchy about films using the sectarian terrorist organizations, the troubles, or other aspects of Northern Irish politics as a base for thrillers or films – mainly because when they do, they do so in a rather heavy-handed and thoughtless way such as The Devil's Own, The Jackal, or many other such films. So with '71 there is a certain odd feeling that uses the streets of Belfast in the early 1970's as a launching point for a thriller involving British soldiers, terrorists on both sides of the divide, the RUC, and civilians of the time. This is not only an odd feeling that I had, but it is also one that the film itself seems to be all too aware of.

To talk generally the film does provide some good tension, with its fast pace, shifting ground, and hand-held camera-work; when it is doing this it is fine – not perfect, but fine. The sense of being trapped between all sides is apparent, and with the stakes high it does move well with what it does. The need to have all the players be clear and be positioned does rather reduce the pace a bit, but what does limit the film a bit is, ultimately, the politics of it. So, for some of this it is not the film that does this but rather the viewer – I guess particularly if you are familiar with the Troubles then it is hard to detach your personal opinions from the drama, which can make some of it harder to get into. The bigger thing though is that the film itself is conscious of this being a real situation, and as such it does know it carries a certain weight with it compared to if it had created this story in a fictional situation.

The cast carry this weight too, although mostly they do play out their characters as a more straightforward thriller – which helps the film be just that. O'Connell, Harris, Dormer, and others all play solid roles in the thriller side, even if the weight of the politics stop them just being genre devices, or being too details as real people. The pacing and structure of the film is good, and mostly it does manage to present the city streets of the Belfast roadblocks and no-go areas as oppressive and ensnaring if you are on the wrong side of them.

So as a thriller it mostly does work well thanks to the shifting narrative, and pace of delivery, however it is a film that senses the weight of the real story that it is using for the purposes of the thriller, and this knowledge does make a difference across the delivery.