Veronica Guerin (2003)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written by Carol Doyle and Mary Agnes Donoghue
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Starring Cate Blanchett, Gerard McSorley, Ciaran Hinds, Brenda Fricker, Don Wycherley

Features:

• Running audio commentary with director Schumacher
  
• Running audio commentary with scribes Doyle and Donoghue
  
• Deleted scene of Guerin speaking at the Committee to Protect Journalists
  
• Historical footage of Veronica Guerin speaking at the Committee to Protect Journalists
  
• Making-of featurette: "Public Mask, Private Fears"
  
• Conversation with Jerry Bruckheimer
  
• Producer's photo gallery with Bruckheimer
  

My Advice: Rent it

By 1996, Veronica Guerin (Blanchett) had made quite a name for herself both with her readers and with the drug lords she wrote about. She started her crusade by going out on assignment to talk to some of the people most directly effected by the drug pushers' work: the people who were addicted to their junk. Very quickly she realized that the real story lay in the money laundering and back-alley deals that got the drugs onto the streets in the first place. When she started following the money trail, she really wasn't ready for how high up in Dublin society it would take her. With the help and hindrance of an informer named Traynor (Hinds), she gets a little too close to the story and is threatened, beat up, and eventually killed for her writing. And, since it's a true story, I really didn't spoil anything either--history has no spoilers.

As usual, Blanchett is nothing short of outstanding; especially when you consider that the dialogue is not up to her usual standards of material. Don't get me wrong, the story is intriguing and even inspiring, but the dialogue just feels stiff. The rest of the cast is just right with the exception of McSorley as the way too overbearing drug-lord John Gilligan; it feels more like the way he was directed than his take on the individual. Still, the production values of this movie are outstanding and it makes its point very clearly.

The DVD is a decent treatment. First of all, there are two commentary tracks presented here. The first is by director Schumacher. At first, I was not impressed with this; it starts out sounding more like Schumacher defending, on a scene by scene basis, his choices as far as factual history goes. However, it wasn't until Schumacher admits to having been a drug addict himself that you realize that he's not defending the film, he's exorcising demons. From that moment on--and it's a subtle change--the commentary track just comes across as more important.

The better of the two commentary tracks is the one with co-Writers Doyle and Donoghue. They are more interested in talking about Guerin the woman, as opposed to Guerin the film. That's not an indictment of Schumacher, it's just a statement of fact. After all, Schumacher has spent his time thinking of this as a film...that's his job. My only critical bit on this track is that Doyle and Donoghue weren't recorded at the same time. It's edited very well, but it's also obvious that the two never talk to one another.

The first featurette, Public Mask-Private Fears," is a look at the film itself. There are two reasons to watch this featurette. First, to hear Blanchett talk about Guerin and her approach to the role. Second, to hear the friends and family of the real Guerin talk about her and their input on the movie. It's a shame that it only lasts about ten minutes. The convo with Bruckheimer is almost like a commentary track in itself. There are questions that Bruckheimer answers that are played over clips from the film. The clips really have nothing to do with the questions being asked at all. I guess the thought was to make it a little more interesting for the audience.

There is only one deleted scene on the disc, but they did something really interesting with it. The scene is Guerin recieving an award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. When shown as a scene from the movie, it's easy to see why it was deleted. It just wasn't necessary to the story. However, they also include on the disc footage of the real Guerin recieving the award. These two features become a way for you to really judge Blanchett's take on the character with the real thing. The speech for the movie scene was abbreviated, but it's pretty much word for word the same speech. This is a neat idea and Blanchett's performance is something to behold.

Finally, on the DVD is Bruckheimer's photography diary of the film shoot. If it were nothing more than the photos, it wouldn't do much for me. However, Bruckheimer recorded a commentary for the slideshow of his photos. This is a nice touch. It makes it a little more personal.

See this movie. Rent it. If you really like it, or are a huge Blanchett fan, you won't be disappointed if you decide to purchase it. The features make it palatable to shell out the coin if necessary.