Film Review: 'Guerrin,' suspenseful film with a message

By Monica L. Pardee
Daily Forty-Niner

In a suspenseful tale of a woman driven by her responsibility as a journalist to write about an issue that really matters, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joel Schumacher deliver a story of unwavering courage and profound sadness in "Veronica Guerrin."

Portraying a mid-1990s Dublin as a hype-haven, strewn with needles and pushers driving Mercedes', "Veronica Guerrin" brings to the forefront the power of one voice to make a difference in law enforcement, policy and the strength of a whole nation.

Cate Blanchett stars as the gutsy, late Irish reporter, determined to get the scoop at all costs. Putting her husband and young son in the potential cross hairs of a handful of professional villains, she heedlessly digs beyond what seems to be, and finds what nobody wants her to know.

Surrounded by nay-sayers, backstabbers and libel laws that may leave her hands tied, Guerrin puts aside her own welfare to push for the truth and laws that will help make nabbing the bad guys easier.

The acting in the film is phenomenal, with Cate Blanchett as Guerrin, and Ciaran Hinds playing off of each other's personalities. Being based on a true story gives this film an added punch that makes a hero out of the woman who refused to be intimidated.

The backdrop is all too believable as an inner city where children play at shooting up and are addicted to drugs before they hit puberty. The progression of events is played out effectively, with a series of creative twists that bring us in a round about way to 1996.

The scenes in the film released last week were powerfully put together. A must see flick and definitely a lifelong lesson, “Veronica Guerrin” imprints upon our minds the injustice of the stone that turns the tide of the avalanche, which is often the one left trapped beneath it.

Bruckheimer and Schumacher succeed at bringing this tale of heroism to the big screen without losing the humanity that makes Guerrin so endearing.