Omagh (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Pete Travis

Writers:

Paul Greengrass (writer)
Guy Hibbert (writer)

Release Date:

22 May 2004 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An examination of the aftermath of the 1998 Real IRA bombing that killed 29 people in Omagh, Northern Ireland.

Plot Keywords:

Northern Ireland | Bombing | Death In Family | Irish Republican Army | Terrorism

Awards:

13 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Gerard McSorley	...	Michael Gallagher
Michele Forbes	...	Patsy Gallagher (as Michèle Forbes)
Brenda Fricker	...	Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan
Stuart Graham	...	Victor Barker
Peter Ballance	...	Mark Breslin (as Peter Balance)
Pauline Hutton	...	Sharon Gallagher
Fiona Glascott	...	Cathy Gallagher
Kathy Kiera Clarke	...	Elizabeth Gibson
Claire Connor	...	Caroline Gibson (as Clare Connor)
Gerard Crossan	...	Hugh
Ian McElhinney	...	Stanley McCombe
Sarah Gilbert	...	Patricia McLaughlin
Alan Devlin	...	Laurence Rush
Frances Quinn	...	Marion Radford
Tara Lynne O'Neill	...	Carol Radford

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for an intense scene of terrorist violence, disturbing images and brief strong language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Ireland | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Tiger Aspect Productions

Trivia:

Out of respect for the victims families and the other survivors, the producers opted not to shoot any portion of the movie in Omagh. Instead it was shot on location in Navan, County Meath, Republic of Ireland.

Quotes:

Michael Gallagher: [final scene, addressing the media pack] The day our loved ones lost their lives and our families were torn apart, we were told that everything would be done to bring their killers to justice. To learn today that they have failed us, before the bomb, after the bomb, and are still failing us now...

Intensity maintained throughout

I never heard of Peter Travis prior to "Omagh" but the direction in this film deserves more than equal billing with Gerard McSorley, who stars the bereaved father who becomes chairman of the Omagh Support Group. The mounting tension at the start of the film as the bomb is positioned, the police are warned and the crowd on the High Street is herded to the spot where the explosion takes place is enough to take your breath away. It doesn't matter in the least that the accents are difficult for these American ears to understand at the film's beginning because you somehow know exactly what's happening at every moment. The frantic search for the missing son, the dawning realization that he has died, the intense grief, the formation of the Omagh Support Group with McSorley emerging as its leader, the effort to ensure that the investigation is pursued, the determination of the politicians that the incident not be allowed to derail "the peace process," the evasions and downright lies of the police, the mysterious emergence of the truth, the condemnation of police conduct by the police ombudswoman -- all are rendered with controlled intensity that never flags. One device that Travis and his cameraman use repeatedly to great effect is the extreme closeup in which a portion of the character's face is shown, framed usually at an artful angle that a skilled portrait photographer might adopt for a still picture. Those pictures capture the emotions of the characters with particular force. The tragedy of Omagh is brought alive to devastating effect. Don't let the fact that it was made for TV deter you from seeing this superb movie.