“The Troubles.” / “Rose’s War.”

“The Troubles: A Dublin Story” (2022, Amazon Prime). Political drama. Two young Dublin brothers must navigate loyalty, honour and the dangerous world of republicanism as they fuel the Northern war machine, by any means necessary.

       Remarkable acting by Ray Malone and Adam Redmond as brothers Sean and Francis, who volunteer to join the Provisional IRA. Away from the conflict in Northern Ireland, the brothers (especially Sean) operate like gangsters in Dublin to fund the war by dangerous methods and alliances.

       Writer/director Luke Hanlon's minimalist navigation of a gargantuan historical event is witty and poignant, sans a flood of tears and lots of screaming. Or gunfights. Violence is contained but the message strikes deep. 

       Would have been great if this was a series. One hour and 33 minutes of a feature film leaves too many questions or expositions. But I am satisfied, anyhow. The intermittent songs by obviously Irish artists are kickass as well. 🎥💻📽

“Rose’s War” (released as “Baltimore” elsewhere; 2023, Hulu) historical thriller film, based on the life of Bridget Rose Dugdale, a British heiress-turned-IRA member. Ms Dugdale (b. 1941) rebelled against her wealthy upbringing, becoming a volunteer in the militant Irish republican organisation, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). As an IRA member, she took part in the theft of paintings worth IR£8 million, a bomb attack on a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) station using a hijacked helicopter, and developed a rocket launcher and an explosive. Until her death, Rose lived in a care home in Dublin run by the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, most of whose residents are retired nuns. She died there in 2024, at the age of 82.

       As Rose, Imogen Poots was inspired and focused. But her efforts proved nil in thumbs-up grade, enough to save the movie from tedious self-immolation and preachy mouthings. The script by Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy (who also co-directed) is smothered with cliche dialogues and stereotypical sequences. That’s all. 🎭👎🎬