Review of '71

This film follows a British soldier who gets left behind in Belfast and has to survive the night whilst being hunted down by the enemy. '71 had some moments of intense action, thrilling suspense and plenty of emotion, meaning it had something in it for everyone. When i heard it was another war film, i instantly got an image of what i thought it was going to be but to my surprise it was very different from your average war film. In some ways better and in some worse. The best parts of this movie were when it was focusing on your main protagonist played by Jack O'Connell and showing the different emotions he was going through. You really get o see how certain experiences damaged or changed him and forced him to find ways to survive. This powerful performance is why i liked the first half of this movie more than the second, after the soldier gets lost in Belfast i felt that the film focused a little too much on the secondary characters. They just weren't as well developed and interesting to keep me invested. The second half although did have some intense edge-of-seat moments that helped me get through it. The main downside of this film is that the plot really wasn't all that interesting, it tries to engage you by setting up multiple characters, some of which have ulterior motives but none of them except for a young boy were that interesting. There was some shaky cam in this movie also that at some times was effective but at other times felt a little annoying and unnecessary.

This film was a little bit of a disappointment for me after hearing so many good things about it. Despite the let down with the plot the performance by Jack O'Connell will still get you through the movie just enough to be able to enjoy it. - 6