Bloody Sunday - A

On DVD (2002). Rated R, 111 minutes. Trailer.

Before Bourne Supremacy and United 93, Paul Greengrass wrote and directed Bloody Sunday, a docudrama exploring the 1972 march and associated military response in Derry, Northern Ireland. The film centers on Ivan Cooper, the Member of Parliament for this portion of Ireland and one of the sponsors of the march, which was intended to be a peaceful march on behalf of civil rights and protesting the unjust internment of thousands of Irish by the British government. This film grabs you from the first frame and doesn't let go until the last strains of Bono's voice at the end of the credits. Click below for more on Bloody Sunday:

Cooper is an affable politician genuinely interested in civil rights and inspired by Martin Luther King. He ambles through Derry trying to get everything organized the night before the march, during the march and in the aftermath. He is fighting to keep the march peaceful - difficult with both the militant IRA and the trigger-happy British army chomping at the bit for a conflict. Greengrass joins this story with 3 or 4 other stories of those on both sides of the day's march.

Each of the stories offers up a level of nuance and thoughtfulness rarely found in film. You see each perspective and watch as the characters work through their decisions. The film's editing, Greengrass camerawork and setting is grippingly realistic as the tension builds.

James Nesbitt is a revelation as Cooper, displaying a staggering array of emotions and locking in one of the most powerfully emotional exits in recent memory. The film is clearly biased in favor of the marchers, but Greengrass keeps it honest throughout.

A must see.