The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2007)
89 %
Reviews Counted: 105 Fresh: 93 Rotten:12 Average Rating: 7.6/10
Consensus:
Bleak and uncompromising, but director Ken Loach brightens his film with gorgeous cinematography and tight pacing, and features a fine performance from Cillian Murphy.
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Theatrical Release: Mar 16, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $1,779,320
Synopsis: Set in 1916 in Ireland, THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY is the story of Damien (Cillain Murphy), a young Irishman about to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. When his friend is brutally murdered for standing up to a band of British soldiers, Damien abandons his medical career and... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham, William Ruane, Gerard Kearney, Padraic Delaney
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Reviews
Loach delivers a moving and often beautiful story that captures the essence of the conflict, with all its unintended consequences and personal tragedies.
Comment
07/19/08
Loach is on fire here. A masterfully executed mix of politics and passion, this is an example of that increasingly rare beast in modern cinema: a serious, thought-provoking film for grown-ups.
03/11/08
Ultimately, the politics outweigh the poetry ... but it succeeds despite its hesitations and far-reaching ambition
09/04/07
Top Critic
Laverty's screenplay is not a simple-minded exercise, although there is a schematic aspect to it. He and Loach want to be fair to both sides of the Irish debate ...
07/14/07
A film that shows the slow push for freedom as the sticky, messy and lengthy process it really is.
06/13/07
the intensity of Murphy and Delaney's performances is shattering... 'Wind' never loses sight of the fact that sometimes a victim's wounds may be invisible to the eye, but every bit as painful as a stabbing...
06/08/07
There are moments that stir, and it's always lovely, but it's generally too remote to gain hold of you truly.
05/25/07
While the film has its share of exciting battle scenes, Loach captures them with an almost detached, documentary-like feeling, as if not wanting the thrills to overwhelm the essential tragedy he sees in the story.
05/25/07
Loach remains focused on the personal, which serves best to highlight the seriousness of the political with which it intersects.
05/24/07
Director Ken Loach borrows the title of his 1920s Irish insurrection drama "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" from a Robert Dwyer Joyce poem, and, in turn, his film is visual poetry.
05/24/07
A social drama so well built that it can pump out thrills while fueling Damian's motivation.
05/22/07
A scenic bit of agitprop that can be as easy on the eyes as it is soft on the ear, even when it's being harshly argued and violently portrayed.
05/19/07
The Wind That Shakes the Barley has a sober, authentic, down-to-earth feel to it.
05/12/07
The Wind that Shakes the Barley is a multi-layered story, and the more you see those different aspects, the more you'll enjoy the film.
05/11/07
The Wind That Shakes the Barley may want to view the world in black and white, but it’s honest enough to admit that most of the time the truth is gray.
05/11/07
While this may be a historical piece, it's history told in the vivid present tense.
05/11/07
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by: JuliaSparrow 4/22/07
by: JuliaSparrow 4/22/07
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