The Lee Enfield rifle is chambered by singular repetitions with a bolt action. When Collins' wayward friend is shot in the water, the rifle shots are rapid semi-automatic fire. See more...
Directed by Neil Jordan, starring Aidan Quinn, Alan Rickman, Brendan Gleeson, Ian Hart, Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson (add more)
Genres: Biography, Drama, History, Thriller, War
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The attack in the stadium happens in bright sunlight. When we see players and fans lying dead on the lawn there is no sun at all, but when the camera shows people running for cover the sun is back. [It being Ireland the sun does go behind clouds very quickly and back out again so this is quite possible.]
At the beginning of the first cabinet meeting after DeValera's return from America Aidan Quinn has difficulties suppressing a giggle and needs to cover his face, which is rather inappropriate considering the seriousness of the occasion. [Aidan is giggling over the fact that Michael Collins calls himself "a yob from West Cork" who is no good at talking and does not want to go to England to negotiate a treaty, feeling DeValera should. A serious scene, yes, but a comedic moment (for Harry) within.]
The film shows Harry Boland shot and dying in a river. However Harry Boland did not die in the river. He was shot in it and later died in a hospital bed surrounded by his family. [Harry Boland did not die, nor was he ever shot in a river. He was shot in a hotel in Swords in North Dublin by Free State troops. He died a few days later in St. Vincent's hospital in Dublin.]
In the movie, G-man Ned Broy is caught burning incriminating documents and tortured to death by the black-and-tans. However, the real Ned Broy lived well into the 1940s, and went on to become chief of the Dublin Metropolitan Police. [As noted on the DVD and on IMDB, this movie employs a common technique often used in biopics: creating a single composite character out of multiple real people. When this is done, only 1 name can be used but the facts of the character are taken from each real person. In this case, the movie character Ned Broy was a composite of the real Ned Broy and of Dick McKee. The death portrayed did historically occur to McKee.]
When DeValera returns from America his formerly round spectacles are replaced by modern rimless ones, far ahead of the time the movie is set. [Eammon Devalera always wore rimless spectacles.]
In the scene where Michael Collins tries to enter the courts, bullet holes are to be seen before any fighting has started. [As they were probably using the 4 courts the bullet holes were there since the civil war and therefore the original holes as in several buildings around Dublin.]
It's a well known fact that no one knew what Michael Collins looked like, and, according to the movie, there's only one photograph in his file that shows him more or less from behind. What doesn't fit into this picture is that we see him giving a public speech, watched by British (or British-paid) agents, which was one of many such speeches as Ned Broy later says. [There are several photographs of Michael Collins. Just look up any history textbook covering the civil war etc. or look him up on wikipedia.]
I wonder if Liam Neeson, age 44 at the time the movie was made and not looking any younger, was the right choice to play a 30-year-old freedom fighter. [Liam Meeson looks a lot like Michael Collins. It couldnt have been cast any better.]
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