537. Maze; movie review
Cert 15
91 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language
The history of Northern Ireland is all the more compelling because of its recentness, proximity and how little those of us in England know about it.
Indeed, we have been presented with much more detailed accounts about wars in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.
For much of my life, I had accepted that Republicans, or the IRA, were bad and the British were upholding the rule of law.
Of course, as time has passed, I have come to understand that The Troubles were not as black and white as I was led to believe.
The only reason we knew about The Maze was that it was the prison in which Bobby Sands and his fellow hunger strikers had died.
We were also aware of H-block and 'dirty protest'' without knowing what they meant.
But why should we care about the IRA inmates? They were the terrorists would had blown up Mountbatten and hit mainland targets such as Birmingham, Brighton and even my home town, Coventry.
Nowadays, we can appreciate the other view of Northern Ireland - one of those who claim they were a persecuted minority who, in their eyes, were fighting for justice.
This Republic perspective dominates this story of the break-out from The Maze.
It centres on the plot, hatched by Larry Marley (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) as a propaganda coup in the wake of the hunger strike failure.
Marley is on a long-term stretch and gently inveigles himself with a Protrestant prison warder (Barry Ward) so he can glean vital knowledge about the jail's routines.
I was engrossed in Stephen Burke's film because I found it a tense and engaging representation of the planned escape.
But, as I have had indicated, I am no expert on its historical accuracy.
Nevertheless, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is convincing as the inmate who tricks both fellow inmates and prison officers into believing he is toadying up to the establishment in return for privileges.
Instead, he is preparing a stunning surprise for what he actually perceives as his enemy.
Reasons to watch: a powerful telling of a moment in Northern Ireland's history
Reasons to avoid: felt rather one-sided to me
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Star tweet
Superb 'Maze' movie by @StephenBurkeSB Tom Vaughan Lawlor, Barry Ward, Martin McCann note-perfect cast @mhcasting Powerful drama
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