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The Field (1990)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 8/20

Field
8/20: Richard Harris' signature performance was given in This Sporting Life, but not many people know he received another Oscar nomination for mounting the greatest comeback of his career in The Field after more than a decade of crap films.

Directed by Jim Sheridan of My Left Foot, it's a strange movie about generational differences. To Bull McCabe, the field means everything, and to everybody else, they're like, "Okay, so what? It's just a plot of land." When Bull doesn't get his way, he resorts to violence, but it backfires on him big time.

Unquestionably, The Field is a through and through snapshot of Ireland. It's impossible not to be enraptured by the verdant landscape that's surrounded by rocks and crags under the cover of melancholy clouds. There are pervasive cultural stereotypes among the people. All I see are retards and near retards. They drink so much and don't seem interested in doing something else more meaningful, so I'll leave it to Jim Sheridan since he was born and raised in Ireland. If the time set in the film feels confusing, it actually takes place during the 1930's.

There are fine performances all over the place. At least a couple of actors will go on to appear in Braveheart and The General. If there's a perfect character for Sean Bean, it's Tadhg McCabe. John Hurt should've gotten an Oscar nomination; he's simply fantastic, and yes, he had his teeth caps removed on purpose. Of course, Jim Sheridan brings back Brenda Fricker after her Oscar win for My Left Foot.

All in all, Richard Harris proved in The Field that he was among a handful of best actors to ever come out of Ireland.