|
The Guarantee
| Released |
30 October 2014 |
| Director |
Ian Power |
Starring
|
Peter Coonan, David Murray, Orla Fitzgerald, Morgan C. Jones, Gary Lydon |
| Writer(s) |
Colin Murphy |
| Producer(s) |
John Kelleher |
| Origin |
Ireland |
| Running Time |
80 minutes |
| Genre |
Drama, history, thriller |
| Rating |
15A |
|
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Based on a true story, unfortunately…
"The Guarantee" What springs to mind? Bailouts. The Troika. Boom and Bust. Austerity. Seanie.. God almighty, are we not sick to the death of hearing these words? Words and faces synonymous with Ireland’s fall from grace following the global recession in 2008, that have been most beloved (/reviled) of journos and socialist leaning (or any politician not in power) speakers over the past few years. The events that led to the fateful evening in September 2008 when the Fianna Fail-led government decided to nationalize our entire domestic banking system has, in just over six years, become the stuff of legend. And now, beautifully timed for Halloween, the horror story is brought in all its glory to the big screen.
I’ll tell you one thing – I was certainly sick of these words. So much so that I upped sticks and flew to the other side of the world for a few years. So it’s strange for me to come back and settle into my cozy cinema seat in the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield - a cinema, funnily enough, that also went boom and bust, and looks to be booming once again, thank god – alongside political commentators, rather than just the usual movie review crowd, to watch this much-anticipated movie. But does it live up to the hype? The screenplay is an adaptation of a play written by Colin Murphy (who’s also written the film version) which was an astounding success with audiences when it first appeared; clearly the dramatization of a topic that most don’t really grasp, but affects our daily lives to such an extent, is something people are going to watch.
So what is director Ian Power going for with this film? At times it seems to style itself as a documentary, with interspersed news clips, and headlines and emails running across our screens - but with a cast of only six main characters, and a focus on ever-more heated conversations between these characters, it seems to want to firmly lie in the realms of a heavyweight political drama. On quite a tight budget some scenes echo its theatrical origins; Brian Cowen giving press conferences on a dimly lit podium could be shot on the stage, for how it looks. Considering all this confusion of styles evident, many may be overly critical of this film, but I think credit must be given for managing to tell this very complex story in 80 minutes. Choosing to focus on just a few main players, in order to recreate some of the drama and dread that permeated the halls of the Department of Finance and elsewhere, leads to a story that manages to explain at least some of the reasons, right or wrong as to why the bailout happened in the first place.
Brian Cowen doesn’t come out particularly well here, being played bullishly by Gary Lydon; he seems irritated with his position and much happier "opening handball alleys", as Brian Lenihan mocks as the 10 hour countdown to the decision begins. David Murray is very likeable as Brian Lenihan; his demonstration of the stress of the situation is in my opinion, one of the best things about this film, and brings some much-needed characterization to aid the drama. Sean Fitzpatrick’s role as Ireland’s very own real life Lex Luther is only added to by Morgan C. Jones. The image of him in his y-fronts and protruding belly, on a midnight call to David Drumm in a darkened bedroom, or another where he’s trying to rescue Anglo, saying "there’s an opportunity in this!" is so perfectly villainous that it’s hard to believe it’s real. And then we have Fran from Love Hate (Peter Coonan) playing another gangster, David Drumm. He also plays an unnamed "central banker". Certainly they had a small budget, but one actor playing double roles? Perhaps there’s a not very subtle point in this. Drumm is like the Jordan Belfort of Irish Banking; f**k this, moolah that (the characters of Drumm and Fran have surprising overlaps.) So there’s limited characterization and narrow points of view being told; with a whole lot of financial jargon thrown in for good measure. Certain scenes, like ones already mentioned, such as Cowen’s press conferences, which have the bare bones of a play, are cringeworthy. But be aware of this, and you’ll find a solid enough movie with elements of a well told drama.
- Eadaoin Browne |
