FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING written and directed by Kari Skogland, from the book by Martin McGartland and Nicholas Davies, with Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley, Kevin Zegers, Natalie Press and Rose McGowan. A TVA Films release. 117 minutes. Opens Friday (July 31). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNN
Fifty Dead Men Walking casts Jim Sturgess as Martin McGartland, a small-time Belfast hustler enlisted by the British to spy on his mates in the IRA, which he did with some success for a couple of years in the late 80s before his cover was blown and he escaped into protective custody.
Ben Kingsley plays McGartland’s sour-faced handler, who turns up every now and then to hector him about his responsibilities over a pint. It’s a lot like The Departed, only the Irish gangsters are actually in Ireland this time.
Writer-director Kari Skogland keeps the energy up throughout and doesn’t shy away from explosions, punch-ups or torture. She also holds Kingsley at an even keel, which couldn’t have been easy. But Sturgess never makes McGartland anything more than a collection of guilty tics, leaving the movie with a sizable hole at its centre.[rssbreak]
