I interpreted Alan Clarke's "Elephant" (his final film) as having the same gist as John Sayles's "Men with Guns": to the common people, there's no difference between the government troops and those opposing the government. To be certain, in this movie neither side gets identified; you're not supposed to support or oppose either side, since they come across as the same. There's also little dialogue, emphasizing the bleak nature of things in Northern Ireland. I suspect that it hasn't been as severe since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, but the fact remains that 800 years of brutal repression by England set the stage for the Troubles. Right after Queen Elizabeth died in September, I reminded some friends that she was seen as the face of the continued British occupation of Northern Ireland (in particular the British army's massacre of marchers in Derry in 1972, known as Bloody Sunday).
Anyway, not a great movie but worth seeing. The title notes that the situation in Northern Ireland has been the elephant in the UK's room for decades. Gus Van Sant released a 2003 movie with the same title, also focusing on a shooting.
"Why the hell are the English there anyway? As they murder with God on their side/Blame it all on the kids and the IRA, as the bast*rds commit genocide" - John Lennon's song "The Luck of the Irish"
Anyway, not a great movie but worth seeing. The title notes that the situation in Northern Ireland has been the elephant in the UK's room for decades. Gus Van Sant released a 2003 movie with the same title, also focusing on a shooting.
"Why the hell are the English there anyway? As they murder with God on their side/Blame it all on the kids and the IRA, as the bast*rds commit genocide" - John Lennon's song "The Luck of the Irish"