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Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland
Geffen Pictures
Not part of a collection.
Ireland, 1916. His Dreams Inspired Hope. His Words Ignited Passion. His Courage Forged A Nation's Destiny.
Michael Collins plays a crucial role in the establishment of the Irish Free State in the 1920s, but becomes vilified by those hoping to create a completely independent Irish republic.
CinemaSerf
Jul 2, 2026 · via TMDB
The end of the Great War profoundly changed the dynamic of Irish politics and saw an empowerment of it's independence movement. Back at the start of the 1920s, though, they had little chance against the battle hardened British troops stationed in a nation that was by no means entirely convinced of the merits of a free Ireland. Then along comes the far more subtle Michael Collins (Liam Neeson) who realises that head-to-head battles will only see their numbers eradicated and the collateral damage to the population impact on their cause, too - so he concludes a more strategic plan that targets individuals crucial to the regime. Some are British, some are collaborators - but pretty soon the rising death tolls have forced the government into drastic action, such an wholesale massacre at a football match. It's events like these that turn the tide in his favour and by the early 1920s there are negotiations being held in London. Collins is sent by Eamon de Valera (Alan Rickman) to head up the conversations but the latter man refuses to accept the compromise solution that he is presented with that would create the Free State - a sort of autonomous entity still within the ambit of the Imperial government. By this point, Collins has tired of the relentless cycles of killings and violence, and he has also fallen in love with "Kitty" (Julia Roberts) who just happened to be the girlfriend of his friend "Harry" (Aidan Quinn) who is none too pleased with the result of the peace conference either. What now ensues sees Collins walking on the eggshells of a political scenario that is proving almost as divisive as attitudes to the British themselves, and with the whole Sinn Fein movement turning in on itself, his own life becomes endangered with him surrounded more and more by enemies on all sides. They do say that one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter, and rarely does a film epitomise that better than in this stylish and complex attempt to explain something of the political situation and it's ebbing and flowing loyalties as those who sought a more softly softly solution for Ireland were ultimately faced down by a visceral section of their own side unwilling to consider anything but full and irrevocable independence. What's also quite well played here is the role of De Valera. Rickman presents us with a character that is both shrewd and passionate, but that is also manipulative and who shows little reluctance to throw Collins under the bus when he decides against participating in the discussions with the British, but instead deputising to this man with little diplomatic experience. It's violent, but I would not say gratuitously so and by the conclusion we know to be fact, it has shown us something of a birth of a nation that was bloody and messy - just like any other birth, and that left scars that (perhaps) only time could heal. Neil Jordan has, of course, taken some theatrical licence with his storytelling and there are speculative elements a-plenty here, but he isn't trying to make a documentary and even if he were, I doubt there could be any more definitive or impartial analysis of Collins's role in the creation of a country to which he was just as devoted as anyone else available. It's a big screen experience if you can for the production is remisicent of one of the grand wartime epics and the story quite compelling, and even if the lacklustre Leeson wouldn't have been my first choice for the title role, this is still an important piece of cinema.
SPDonlan
Jul 20, 2024 · via TMDB
Like many such epics, _Michael Collins_ is melodramatic and partial, about a past all too present. But much of the critical hostility it received/s is for offending popular pieties, imperial or republican, no less prejudiced. Jordan wrestled with historiography and moral complexity in writing his screenplay. He understood that any historical account involves selection and even distortion, not least to persuade producers and sell tickets. Ultimately, however, the period and place are too complex for Jordan to explain or Collins to contain: its violence is too roughly contextualized, its framing too hagiographical, and its characterization of De Valera too broad.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Liam Neeson
Michael Collins
Aidan Quinn
Harry Roland
Stephen Rea
Ned Broy
Alan Rickman
Eamon de Valera
Julia Roberts
Kitty Kiernan
Ian Hart
Joe O'Reilly
Brendan Gleeson
Liam Tobin
Stuart Graham
Tom Cullen
Sean McGinley
Smith
Gerard McSorley
Cathal Brugha
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Collin's Assassin
Charles Dance
Soames
Jer O'Leary
Thomas Clarke
Mike Dwyer
James Connolly
Martin Murphy
Captain Lee-Wilson
Gary Whelan
Hoey
Frank O'Sullivan
Kavanagh
Frank Laverty
Sean McKeoin
Owen O'Neill
Rory O'Connor
Owen Roe
Arthur Griffith
Paul Hickey
Dublin Castle Soldier
Tom Murphy
Vinny Byrne
Gary Lydon
Squad Youth #1
David Wilmot
Squad Youth #2
Joe Hanley
Squad Man #1
Ian McElhinney
Belfast Detective
Tony Clarkin
Soldier on Station
Luke Hayden
McCrae
Gary Powell
Black and Tan on Lorry
Aidan Kelly
Gresham Hotel Bellboy
Michael James Ford
Black and Tan
Mal Whyte
Officer in Bath
Martin Phillips
Officer in Bed
Aisling O'Sullivan
Girl in Bed
Malcolm Douglas
Officer in Park
Peter O'Brien
Pianist in Restaurant
Vinnie McCabe
Speaker in the Dail
Alan Stanford
Vice-Consul McCready
Barry Barnes
Free State Soldier
Denis Conway
Republican #1
Don Wycherley
Republican #2
Lesley Conroy
Party Guest (uncredited)
Chris Menges
Director of Photography
Sandy Powell
Costume Design
Morag Ross
Hairstylist
Morag Ross
Makeup Artist
Greg Powell
Stunt Coordinator
Patrick Condren
Stunts
Neil Jordan
Director
Susie Figgis
Casting
Stephen Woolley
Producer
Matthias Gohl
Music Arranger
Matthias Gohl
Music Producer
Elliot Goldenthal
Original Music Composer
Stephen McLaughlin
Scoring Mixer
Neil Jordan
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Stripper Wives
1999
Sally's Beauty Spot
1990
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Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
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1981 · 11 wins
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