A Riveting True Story. Review on Veronica Guerin Movie

Veronica Guerin [2003], directed by Joel Schumacher, is a true story of an Irish journalist of the same name who died during her attempts to bring the drug lords of Ireland’s rapidly rising drug empire to justice.

THE PLOT

Working as a star columnist for the Irish newspaper The Sunday Independent, Veronica Guerin leads a happy life. Job’s good, family’s very understanding, all’s perfect. On a visit to a slum to interview a few junkies about the increasing level of drug addiction among the youth, she notices syringes strewn all over the road, and small kids playing with them. Shaken and angry at what she has just seen, she decides to take up the issue of the explosion of the drug trade spreading across the city. Veronica is a go-getter, bulldozing her way to get what she wants from people, be it a police detective, a member of parliament or a criminal. Threats and murder attempts aimed at her and her family only incite her further, because, as she puts it, “It means I’m on the right track.” Fearless, she moves deeper into the world of the drug lords, risking everything to expose the truth, a risk that would cost her her life but would eventually lead to her victory.

THE ANALYSIS

The movie features good performances by the entire cast, but one that really stands out is the power-packed portrayal of Veronica Guerin by Cate Blanchett. She gets plenty of opportunity to display her acting prowess and she exploits this opportunity very well to give, mildly put, a stunner of a performance. She dons the role with absolute ease, playing the complex character quite effortlessly. A five-on-five performance, no doubt.

Ciarán Hinds, who plays John “The Coach” Traynor, does an excellent job. He is the only actor, apart from Cate Blanchett, with scope to perform.

The entire movie is serious to an extent. The background score, locations, the overall look-and-feel and the other aspects of this film contribute to that seriousness, giving it a dark-grayish grimness.

Technically, the movie is sound. Director Joel Schumacher has done a commendable job. The movie has a tight screenplay which ensures that there aren’t any stale, unimportant scenes. The editing is crisp. The camerawork is pretty normal. There aren’t any spectacular camera shots and angles but then the movie doesn’t require such things.

THE VERDICT

Veronica Guerin is, on the whole, a well-made and thought-provoking movie. In the end, it makes one give a thought about journalism and journalists in general. People looking to get entertained by this movie will be disappointed, owing to it’s serious content. But people who don’t mind serious movies will find it quite interesting.

Watch it alone!