Watch Shadow Dancer For Free

Wow! Such a good movie.

Overrated and overhyped

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

I have to disagree with Ruben Mooijman, who, in his review claims that Shadow Dancer does nothing to add to (or clarify) what we already know about this time period in Ireland, particularly Belfast. I believe this film goes a long way toward further illustrating the confusion and convolution of loyalties experienced by some families living in Northern Ireland at the time. Mooijman has completely ignored an important part of the film (or maybe it just went past him) concerning the fact that the mother of the younger IRA activists featured in the story turns out to have been a long-term "tout" or spy for MI5 (the Brits) and has been since 6 years or so after her own son, Sean, was killed in the crossfire in the '70s (at the beginning of the movie). The current IRA activists to whom I refer are young Gerry - we're never really privy to what has happened to their father, also called Gerry - Connor and Colette, all of whom were there the night their wee brother was sent out for fags for older Gerry, and rushed back into the house, shot in the chest. Later in the film, at the funeral of a fellow member, we can nearly taste the pride and camaraderie shared by the activists as they stand up against the occupiers when they try to bury their fallen friend "as a soldier." I dare say I learned more about the day-to-day life of people caught up in the IRA movement in Shadow Dancer than through any other film I've seen.I was privileged to travel throughout Ireland two years ago (our daughter now has dual British- American citizenship, and resides in Wales, and she arranged and accompanied us throughout our travels). The people of Ireland are wonderful, and most welcoming to Americans, even though many of them are still suffering the after effects of the struggles there (and let's not forget that parts of Ireland are still considered "occupied"). The fact is, some citizens of Ireland continue to feel much the same way as one of the characters in the film who angrily rejected the ceasefire gestures as a sell-out, and some have not been thrilled with the final outcome of the peace agreements. As with people throughout the world, carrying on day-to-day activities while operating within the bounds of ANY government, it often boils down to finally realizing that there are precious few people in one's life (and even in one's immediate family) that a person can really trust.

Clive Owen is an MI5 stooge who instantly turns a Belfast bomb-dropper-offer woman into an informer, in spite of saying, 'This is going to take some time'. And yes, we get it: Belfast in the troubles (which aren't over btw) is as bleak as it gets. Those IRA guys just want everyone to be as miserable as they are, it seems.Now, introduce hundreds of indistinguishable miserable characters without names or any particular reason to exist other than it's a 'political' film, yeah? A few vignettes of IRA funerals and suchlike, just to lighten the mood. Forget to show the heroine for half an hour, and focus on Clive Owen's double chin.Fast forward ninety minutes. Still awake? Suddenly, Clive and his informer kiss. Fast forward thirty more minutes. then she arranges for his car to be booby trapped even though he offered to elope with her, I think. Because her mother's an informer too, and she has to die.You see, those IRA types just can't be anything but miserable.Who wrote this tripe? Is that the Tom Bradby who was ITV's political editor? Stick to news, Tom. If it wasn't you, sorry.

Collette (Andrea Riseborough) grew up with the Troubles in Belfast. In 1993, she plants a bomb in the London tube and gets caught. MI5 operative Mac (Clive Owen) gets the single mom to turn. She reluctantly gives Mac some intel and MI5 stage an ambush. The IRA is suspicious and Collette could be in danger. Meanwhile, Mac's boss Kate Fletcher (Gillian Anderson) seems to have her own agenda. Also the burgeoning peace plan is dividing the republicans.This movie is very low key and slow paced. Also I haven't noticed Andrea Riseborough in her other works. She seems to be very plain and plays her character very close to the vest. The emotions come out only in a couple of scenes. It all gives this movie a sense of realism. However the slow pace does take its toll. The tension is on a slow boil for most of the movie. The suspense is limited because there is no mystery here. There is a big twist in the end but the story generally lays out everything. The only thing left is a character study. Riseborough seems to be a good actress, and it's a functional movie on that basis.

Marsh has directed this IRA drama as a series of small gestures and has found in Riseborough an actress knowing how to do more with less. "Shadow Dancer" assumes a familiarity with history and politics of Northern Ireland keeps emotions so tight that it risks seeming inconsequential. The director overplays the symbolism, with Collette wearing a red coat when working for MI5 and a blue coat when back home. On the other hand, he can direct a funeral procession, with the Catholic mourners seething against a wall of British soldiers, so that the cobblestones feel primed to explode. In this world, death is constantly , all the time. As for love the story's so flinty and close-fisted that, ironically, it doesn't linger in the memory. Clive Owen perfect as usual and more at ease playing an English guy.