’71
Starring up-and-coming talent Jack O’Connell (Unbroken), this exhilarating, breathless thriller recreates “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland through the eyes of a young British soldier. Private Gary Hook (O’Connell) is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a terrifying riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, the raw recruit must survive the night alone and find his way to safety through a disorienting, alien and deadly landscape. On his journey he meets British loyalists and the opposing Catholic republicans young and old – including the paramilitary IRA. With corruption and compassion on both sides, either could help or hinder Hook’s desperate escape through the volatile battlegrounds of Belfast.
The impressive award winning directorial debut of Yann Demange, ‘71 deftly balances the politics of the situation in Ireland with the personal toll on those who are inadvertently swept up in the conflict. Having received critical acclaim internationally, the film has been described as “a stunningly well-crafted survival thriller” by The Daily Telegraph UK, “a powerful and thrilling masterpiece” by Digital Spy and a “film that holds you in a vice-like grip throughout” by The Guardian. This intimate, gripping thriller will have you on the edge of your seat from its first exhilarating chase until you finally catch your breath at the poignant finale.