Review: Veronica Guerin

Rated R | 92 mins

Could it? Would it? Should it? Yes, it’s true—I like a Joel Schumacher/Jerry Bruckheimer creation. Alert the press! After literally dozens of movies, the dreaded collaboration has finally made a good movie, and a very welcome one, I might add.

The result of such is more shocking than joyous. This film tells a rather fictitious version of the life-story of Veronica Guerin, but regardless of how accurate it really is, it is still quite powerful. Guerin, who is played by a brilliant Cate Blanchett, was a brave and fearless Irish journalist, often too much so for her own good. She would travel into the drug underworld, and interview vicious criminals and their relations, often putting herself and her family in danger, because of it. Guerin’s work still greatly influences the Irish political system today, several years after her death.

One of the aspects of Schumacher’s work that I admire the most is his moderate use of onscreen violence. When films like this are overwhelmingly gritty (as this year’s Narc was), the audience becomes desensitized, ultimately leaving them emotionally detached from the characters. Veronica Guerin never overplays anything, either. Given the material, it’s always somewhat subtle in its execution, which allows the story to move along quite nicely.

The one thing that Veronica Guerin is in desperate need of is triumph. While Schumacher succeeds most of the time, he clearly has no sense of the way in which he would like viewers to feel about his movie. However, the tremendous acting and proficient script make up for this, nonetheless.

Veronica Guerin isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s certainly a passable motion picture with several redeeming qualities. Mr. Schumacher has accomplished something wonderful, even though he’s not responsible for most of its success. This one is certainly worth the price of a ticket, though; it will not disappoint.