Nothing Personal (1996)

I saw this movie several times. I am even looking for it on vain now, on DVD or download. What I liked most is that it gives an insight in the world of the Ulster loyalists. In most movies, the NI troubles are depicted as a struggle of the noble IRA fighters against the evil British opressors. (In the name of the father, Bloody sunday, Some mother's son, Hunger,...) In a few other movies, the IRA members are depicted as ruthless terrorists (The devil's own, Patriot games). What all these movies have in common is that the loyalists are not even mentioned. Nothing Personal shows the true nature of the conflict, as a bloody and cruel gang war between the two parties, and on top of that, bloody internal conflicts in the two camps as well.

This movie shows how savage the troubles really are. People who do not want to be involved have no say in the way their lives are altered. This movie shows how the people of Northern Ireland, both Catholic and Protestant are held captive. At any moment their lives may be changed forever whether they want to be involved or not.

I don't normally watch this type of show, but the Irish background is what started me, and it was James Frain's part of Kenny that kept me watching it. Though mostly Irish myself, I don't pretend to understand the IRA, or any of the conflicts that went on there. And though it might be nice to understand it all, it's by no means necessary to enjoy the show.I thought James Frain, & Ian Hart's roles were well balanced, and worked well together. Particularly Kenny's depth of character, of someone who in a long term situation seeing no certain end in site, but still not giving up on those that depend on him, or his loved ones he stands before. The end might be a predictable one, based on the history of what we know, and human limitations in a given situation, but is still effective, and moving.I think the show adequately portrays the lives of people on both sides, caught up in a confusing maelstrom not of their own making, that snowballed, and theres no turning it off and walking away.

I disliked this film intensely and left during the scene where the loyalist gang are shot up by the British. The film effectively blames the people of NI as being the cause of their own troubles. It suggests that the 25 year war was a question of intransigence and nothing to do with Britain's partition of Ireland and domination of its history i.e. NI was created by Britain in 1921 irrespective of the wishes of the rest of Ireland.The characters are portrayed as hapless fools, even though I despise loyalist paramilitaries they were fighting for a cause - maintaining their artificial privileges over the Catholic community. It is a known fact that British Intelligence collaborated with loyalists during the war, no doubt to keep the Catholics at bay and demoralise republicanism.Nineties' values about 'machismo', masculinity etc are transposed on to 1970s Belfast and are portrayed as part of the supposedly unique Irish 'psyche' which leads to violence. The stupid song from the woman in the club - old Ireland of green fields ..blah..blah.. - is given a symbolic stature, i.e. poor young fools fighting for an impossible cause. Tedious, ahistorical, cheap and nasty trash. O'Sullivan has made a personal statement on a conflict which requires serious political analysis.