"Omagh" is an example of how cinematic drama must be made today in order to be effective and relevant: with honesty and heart. Brilliant.
Omagh (2004)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:8
Fresh:7
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: On August 15, 1998, an Irish separatist group known as the Real IRA detonated a car bomb in the small market town of Omagh, Northern Ireland, claiming the lives of 31 people and injuring hundreds... On August 15, 1998, an Irish separatist group known as the Real IRA detonated a car bomb in the small market town of Omagh, Northern Ireland, claiming the lives of 31 people and injuring hundreds of others. Screenwriter Paul Greengrass dramatizes the tragic event in the Irish telefilm OMAGH, centering the action on the real-life story of one grieving father's search for justice. After losing his 21-year-old son in the blast, mild-mannered auto mechanic Michael Gallagher (Irish actor Gerald McSorley, himself an Omagh native) becomes an outspoken advocate for the victims' families as they find themselves increasingly sidelined by an indifferent bureaucracy. Like Greengrass's 2002 directorial effort, BLOODY SUNDAY, OMAGH employs a cinema-verite style marked by handheld video and gritty photography for documentary-like realism and heightened emotional impact. [More]
Starring: Gerard McSorley, Michèle Forbes, Brenda Fricker
Starring: Gerard McSorley, Michèle Forbes, Brenda Fricker
Director: Pete Travis
Director: Pete Travis
Screenwriter: Paul Greengrass, Guy Hibbert
Producer: Paul Greengrass
Get This Movie
Reviews for Omagh
Serves as a companion piece to writer-producer Paul Greengrass' superb 2001 pic Bloody Sunday, but emerges as a startlingly powerful achievement in its own right.
... unnervingly evokes both the panic and the confusion of a world suddenly ripped inside out.
... a good picture that's at its best when dramatizing the very violence it condemns.
Paul Greengrass, who previous wrote and directed Bloody Sunday, co-wrote this, and once again he shines a light on the victims of the region's seemingly endless strife.
As propaganda on behalf of the Omagh victims the film does its work well, but in the end both the personal story and the collective one seem unsatisfactory.
Omagh might have been conceived for television, it nevertheless offers a provocative and well-produced night out at the cinema.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Omagh at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



