On M List of Movie Reviews

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Michael Collins (1996)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 7/08

MichaelColl
7/08: Oh, no.

Not another Reds. Zzzzz...it's what Michael Collins is all about. Beyond that, I don't give a fuck about the IRA. It's nothing but a terrorist group.

What a boring biopic of a man who helped bring independence to Ireland. Neil Jordan's direction is the reason why because of his lack of understanding of how to bring energy to the characters, how to make the story informative, and how to connect with the audience. For the majority of the time, he's more interested in the cinematography by making sure it's blue as much as possible while neglecting the pace.

Liam Neeson is harried in his movements, and Julia Roberts tries to be Irish as much as possible. That being said, why does Joel Schumacher keep coming to my mind? Aidan Quinn continues his personal vendetta from Legends of the Fall. I don't like Alan Rickman's performance because he's focused on making sure to enunciate the words as slowly as possible. What a disappointment because I picked up the movie in the first place to see him act.

The development of the events as shown is minimal. When Michael Collins died at the end, I didn't care. I was glad that the movie was finally over because it was too long with many false endings.

All in all, Neil Jordan is a mediocre director.