The Devil's Own

The Devil's Own

4/4/1997 1h 47m 6.2/10

Overview

Frankie McGuire, one of the IRA's deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O'Meara, a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie's real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom's growing suspicions, forces Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.

Director

Alan J. Pakula

Top Billed Cast

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt

Rory Devaney

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

Tom O'Meara

Treat Williams

Treat Williams

Billy Burke

Margaret Colin

Margaret Colin

Sheila O'Meara

Rubén Blades

Rubén Blades

Edwin Diaz

George Hearn

George Hearn

Peter Fitzsimmons

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

6/6/2022

5/10

On the face of it, two A-list men at the top of the bill should have made this compelling, but sadly what we get is a rather lacklustre thriller that is positively lacking in thrills! The story centres around police officer "O'Meara" (Harrison Ford) who takes in an Irish lodger "Devaney" (Brad Pitt and his hilarious Irish accent). From the outset, we are aware that the lodger is really an IRA terrorist who is hiding out under an assumed name, and gradually his host begins to suspect that all is not what is seems. What now ensues is a really rather poorly constructed story that leaves breadcrumbs for us all to follow to an ending that though taut at times along the way, is really nothing very interesting. As a Brit, I've always found these intrigue films that portray terrorists as glorified freedom fighters a bit tough to stomach and the narrative here plays to just about every dumb stereotype imaginable. There is precious little by way of action and the pace sort of lumbers along with little to engage the little grey cells. The plot is overly simplistic and from a political perspective, totally one-sided and that renders the whole thing little better than an hollow outing for both. Though Pitt is at his most eye-catching, this is nothing at all to write home about and offers us little of meaning to help comprehend the complexities of the true problems on the island of Ireland.

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