Fifty Dead Men Walking
Encyclopedia
Fifty Dead Men Walking is a 2008 English-language crime thriller film written and directed by Kari Skogland
. It is a loose adaptation of Martin McGartland
's 1997 autobiography of the same name. It premiered in September 2008, and stars Jim Sturgess
as Martin McGartland, an informant
within the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA), and Ben Kingsley
as Fergus, his British handler
.
The film is set from 1987 until 1991, the time in which McGartland acted as an undercover informant within the IRA during The Troubles
. In 1991 his cover was blown and he was kidnapped by the IRA, although he later escaped and went into hiding.
At the time of the release of the film McGartland was still in hiding. The film takes its name from McGartland's claim within his book to have saved the lives of fifty people during his time as an informant.
Martin McGartland disowned the film as was reported in the Sunday Times on March 29, 2009. Martin told the Sunday Times that "they are saying it was based on a true story, but what is the definition of 'based on a true story'? Is it 50% true, 70% true, 10%?" The Sunday Times further reported that McGartland contended "that the movie is fundamentally a lie that misrepresents his career and his motivation. He believes that if Kari Skogland, the director, had stuck closer to the account he gave in his book and in a BBC documentary, then she would have had a better film."
(Jim Sturgess
) is a 21-year-old street hustler from Northern Ireland
, living in the 1980s. The Irish Republican Army
wants to recruit him, but he is reluctant because of what he sees as their cruel justice. Because of his connection to the community, the British police want him to infiltrate and spy
on the IRA. Marty agrees because of the car and money he gets from the police and because he dislikes the IRA. The IRA accepts him as a Volunteer and in that position he learns of various planned attacks. He then informs Fergus, his police contact, to prevent these attacks. He builds up a new sense of self-esteem, but he cannot tell his family and friends about his activities. Even his new girlfriend Lara (Nathalie Press) only notices that he seems to do some work for the IRA, which worries her.
All along, the British accept the risk that the IRA may discover that Marty works for them. They do not plan to rescue him in that case. When it happens, the IRA capture and torture Marty, but he manages to escape by throwing himself out of a window. His handler Fergus is now his only ally--he finds him and helps him hide. Fergus offers to arrange for Marty and Lara and their children to live in Scotland but Marty realises that she would never be able to feel safe. He then goes on the run to Canada alone, leaving his family behind. As shown at the start of the film, he is shot there by the IRA and survives.
, was arrested by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) police in 1987 at age 16 for a petty crime. After that arrest, he agreed to infiltrate the IRA and pass information on their activities under the codename Agent Carol to the RUC Special Branch
which dealt with counter terrorism activities. For his information, he was later described as "one of the RUC's most important agents inside the IRA's Belfast Brigade
during the early Nineties." In 1991 his cover was blown and he was kidnapped by the IRA to be interrogated and killed. He escaped by leaping from an upstairs window and fled to England, receiving money to set up a new life in North East England
.
's autobiography was a best seller, and he released a follow up about his time on the run. In 1997 he came to press attention after Northumbria Police
revealed his location when they attempted to prosecute him for holding false identities, which he claimed he required to evade discovery by the IRA. Also in 1997 the BBC made a short documentary on him.
In 1999, he survived being shot six times in an attack on his home in Whitley Bay
. He stated that the IRA had been responsible, which they denied. Months after the shooting it emerged that the RUC had linked the gun used to shoot McGartland to the murder of a drug dealer in Northern Ireland by the IRA. He alleged the British Government was covering up the IRA's involvement to preserve the ceasefire declared by them in 1997. He successfully sued several media outlets for falsely claiming at the time that the attempt on his life had come about due to his links to a Northeast drugs gang. As of the time of the release of the film, he was still in hiding.
for the film. Casting was completed in November 2007. Filming began on location in the Co. Down
villages of Killough
and Ardglass
in late October 2007 and went on until December 2007.
The film premiered on 4 September 2008 at the Toronto International Film Festival
in Canada. Since then it has screened at the 2009 Kingston Canadian Film Festival. It is set to be theatrically released in Finland
, the UK
, and the Netherlands
. The UK premiere was held on the 4th of April 2009 in Belfast, where the film was shot. Jim Sturgess was unable to attend, as was Sir Ben Kingsley, who recorded a video message for the audience to thank them for attending. Phoenix23
, the Belfast band who recorded three tracks for the soundtrack; "Hit the Ground Running", "Its a Blast" and "Hurricane" were in attendance. The film went on general release in the UK on 10 April 2009.
gave Fifty Dead Men Walking three out of four stars. Empire Magazine awarded the film three out of five stars and praised Sturgess' performance, although they noted that "some stylistic slip-ups let him down a little." The Guardian
awarded the film three out of five stars and said "producer-director Kari Skogland has put together an effective, if cinematically unambitious, enterprise."
in 2010.
Kari Skogland
Kari Skogland is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Career:Skogland started directing award-winning television commercials and music videos. She moved on to television shows with 1996's Traders...
. It is a loose adaptation of Martin McGartland
Martin McGartland
Martin McGartland is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army informer who joined the organisation in order to pass information to British security forces. When he was exposed as an informer in 1991, he escaped from IRA custody and was resettled in England. His identity became known after a...
's 1997 autobiography of the same name. It premiered in September 2008, and stars Jim Sturgess
Jim Sturgess
James Anthony "Jim" Sturgess is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His breakthrough role was appearing as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe .-Early life:...
as Martin McGartland, an informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
within the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA), and Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
as Fergus, his British handler
Agent handling
In intelligence organizations, agent handling is the management of agents, principal agents, and agent networks by intelligence officers typically known as case officers.-Human intelligence:...
.
The film is set from 1987 until 1991, the time in which McGartland acted as an undercover informant within the IRA during The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. In 1991 his cover was blown and he was kidnapped by the IRA, although he later escaped and went into hiding.
At the time of the release of the film McGartland was still in hiding. The film takes its name from McGartland's claim within his book to have saved the lives of fifty people during his time as an informant.
Martin McGartland disowned the film as was reported in the Sunday Times on March 29, 2009. Martin told the Sunday Times that "they are saying it was based on a true story, but what is the definition of 'based on a true story'? Is it 50% true, 70% true, 10%?" The Sunday Times further reported that McGartland contended "that the movie is fundamentally a lie that misrepresents his career and his motivation. He believes that if Kari Skogland, the director, had stuck closer to the account he gave in his book and in a BBC documentary, then she would have had a better film."
Plot
Martin McGartlandMartin McGartland
Martin McGartland is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army informer who joined the organisation in order to pass information to British security forces. When he was exposed as an informer in 1991, he escaped from IRA custody and was resettled in England. His identity became known after a...
(Jim Sturgess
Jim Sturgess
James Anthony "Jim" Sturgess is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His breakthrough role was appearing as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe .-Early life:...
) is a 21-year-old street hustler from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, living in the 1980s. The Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
wants to recruit him, but he is reluctant because of what he sees as their cruel justice. Because of his connection to the community, the British police want him to infiltrate and spy
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
on the IRA. Marty agrees because of the car and money he gets from the police and because he dislikes the IRA. The IRA accepts him as a Volunteer and in that position he learns of various planned attacks. He then informs Fergus, his police contact, to prevent these attacks. He builds up a new sense of self-esteem, but he cannot tell his family and friends about his activities. Even his new girlfriend Lara (Nathalie Press) only notices that he seems to do some work for the IRA, which worries her.
All along, the British accept the risk that the IRA may discover that Marty works for them. They do not plan to rescue him in that case. When it happens, the IRA capture and torture Marty, but he manages to escape by throwing himself out of a window. His handler Fergus is now his only ally--he finds him and helps him hide. Fergus offers to arrange for Marty and Lara and their children to live in Scotland but Marty realises that she would never be able to feel safe. He then goes on the run to Canada alone, leaving his family behind. As shown at the start of the film, he is shot there by the IRA and survives.
Cast
- Jim SturgessJim SturgessJames Anthony "Jim" Sturgess is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His breakthrough role was appearing as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe .-Early life:...
as Martin McGartland - Rose McGowanRose McGowanRose Arianna McGowan is an actress and singer. She is known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB Television Network supernatural drama series Charmed. She played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis...
as Grace Sterrin - Ben KingsleyBen KingsleySir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
as Fergus - Kris Edlund as Mrs. Conlan
- Kevin ZegersKevin ZegersKevin Joseph Zegers is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for his leading roles as Josh Framm in the Air Bud series, as well as playing Damien Dalgaard in the Gossip Girl series and the protagonist in Rock Mafia's The Big Bang...
as Sean - Nathalie Press as Lara
- Paschal Friel as Jana
Events covered by the film
McGartland, an Irish CatholicIrish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
, was arrested by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC) police in 1987 at age 16 for a petty crime. After that arrest, he agreed to infiltrate the IRA and pass information on their activities under the codename Agent Carol to the RUC Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
which dealt with counter terrorism activities. For his information, he was later described as "one of the RUC's most important agents inside the IRA's Belfast Brigade
Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade
The Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA was the largest of the organisation's command areas, based in the city of Belfast. Founded in 1969, along with the formation of the Provisional IRA, it was historically organised into three battalions; the First Battalion based in the...
during the early Nineties." In 1991 his cover was blown and he was kidnapped by the IRA to be interrogated and killed. He escaped by leaping from an upstairs window and fled to England, receiving money to set up a new life in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
.
Events after the time of the film
Martin McGartlandMartin McGartland
Martin McGartland is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army informer who joined the organisation in order to pass information to British security forces. When he was exposed as an informer in 1991, he escaped from IRA custody and was resettled in England. His identity became known after a...
's autobiography was a best seller, and he released a follow up about his time on the run. In 1997 he came to press attention after Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the areas of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in North East England. The service is the sixth largest police force in England and Wales. The current Chief Constable is Sue Sim who was appointed by Northumbria Police...
revealed his location when they attempted to prosecute him for holding false identities, which he claimed he required to evade discovery by the IRA. Also in 1997 the BBC made a short documentary on him.
In 1999, he survived being shot six times in an attack on his home in Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
. He stated that the IRA had been responsible, which they denied. Months after the shooting it emerged that the RUC had linked the gun used to shoot McGartland to the murder of a drug dealer in Northern Ireland by the IRA. He alleged the British Government was covering up the IRA's involvement to preserve the ceasefire declared by them in 1997. He successfully sued several media outlets for falsely claiming at the time that the attempt on his life had come about due to his links to a Northeast drugs gang. As of the time of the release of the film, he was still in hiding.
Production
Man on the Run was a working titleWorking title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
for the film. Casting was completed in November 2007. Filming began on location in the Co. Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
villages of Killough
Killough
Killough is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the Irish Sea shore near Ardglass, five miles southeast of Downpatrick. It is notable for its sycamore-lined main street. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 845 people....
and Ardglass
Ardglass
Ardglass is a coastal village in County Down, Northern Ireland and still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass to Downpatrick road, about 11 kilometres to the south east of Downpatrick, in the Lecale peninsula on the Irish Sea. It had a population of 1,668...
in late October 2007 and went on until December 2007.
Release
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
in Canada. Since then it has screened at the 2009 Kingston Canadian Film Festival. It is set to be theatrically released in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The UK premiere was held on the 4th of April 2009 in Belfast, where the film was shot. Jim Sturgess was unable to attend, as was Sir Ben Kingsley, who recorded a video message for the audience to thank them for attending. Phoenix23
Phoenix23
Phoenix 23 are a 5 piece band from Northern Ireland. Formed in 2007, they consist of 4 cousins, Gav Campbell, Neil Donnelly, Glenn Donnelly and Andy Cochrane… as drummer they have close friend Richard 'Hodgy' Hodgen....
, the Belfast band who recorded three tracks for the soundtrack; "Hit the Ground Running", "Its a Blast" and "Hurricane" were in attendance. The film went on general release in the UK on 10 April 2009.
Critical reception
Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave Fifty Dead Men Walking three out of four stars. Empire Magazine awarded the film three out of five stars and praised Sturgess' performance, although they noted that "some stylistic slip-ups let him down a little." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
awarded the film three out of five stars and said "producer-director Kari Skogland has put together an effective, if cinematically unambitious, enterprise."
Recognition
On the basis of Canadian involvement in its financing, Fifty Dead Men Walking was nominated for Best Canadian Film at the 30th Genie Awards30th Genie Awards
The 30th Genie Awards were on April 12, 2010 to honour films released in 2009. Nominations were announced on March 1, 2010.-Controversy:Despite having won three awards at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and having been selected as Canada's submission for Best Foreign Language film at the 82nd Academy...
in 2010.
External links
- Fifty Dead Men Walking at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Fifty Dead Men Walking page at Brightlight PicturesBrightlight PicturesBrightlight Pictures Inc. is a Canadian film production and television production company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company was founded in 2001....
- Fifty Dead Men Walking description at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
- DVD Cover Design page at Harty Design