Cate Blanchett's 'Veronica Guerin' is single best dramatic performance all year

By Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

VERONICA GUERIN (R) Three and One-Half Stars (Good-to-Excellent) Directed by Joel Schumacher, "Veronica Guerin" covers a period during the 1990s when the reporter declared war on Dublin's drug trade by writing exposes, and the result is a classic journalism film akin to "All the President's Men." Starring Cate Blanchett, Ciaran Hinds, and Gerard McSorley. Touchstone Pictures, 92 minutes.

Cate Blanchett stars as Guerin, the real-life journalist who risked and ultimately lost her life exposing the illegal drug trade in Ireland. And she is stellar.

Blanchett avoids stereotypes, painting Guerin as a living, breathing human rather than the conventional Hollywood archetype. In so doing, she allows the audience to see not only her character's lust for life and remarkable bravery, but also her underlying vulnerability, a subtlety that makes the film not good, but great.

Directed by Joel Schumacher, "Guerin" covers a period during the 1990s when the reporter had declared war on Dublin's drug trade by writing exposes in the Sunday Independent, and the result is a classic journalism film akin to "All the President's Men." Ultimately she discovers who's behind the crimes and the closer she gets to the truth, the more her life is threatened.

Even though the audience knows Guerin will meet an untimely end, it's impossible not to invest in her story. In fact, prior knowledge of her death makes a number of key scenes more powerful.

Although Blanchett is — and should be — the movie's shining star, the supporting cast plays its role perfectly. In particular, Ciaran Hinds ("Road to Perdition," "The Sum of All Fears") is sharp as a ruthless but starry-eyed mobster and Gerard McSorley ("Angela's Ashes") is powerful as a crime boss whose demeanor shifts from graceful to frenzied at the drop of a hat. Colin Farrell also makes an appearance, and because of his celebrity, his name is being bandied about. But his role is nothing more than a cameo.

This is a great year for Schumacher, who also helmed the Hitchcockian joyride "Phone Booth," starring Farrell. But really, there's no comparison between the movies. "Guerin" is a heartfelt drama that pays tribute to a gallant woman and says more than a few things about the human condition and those who strive to improve it.

Clearly, moments of Guerin's story have been dramatized and the timeline condensed, but that's a must in reality-based drama. Truth told, few people in America, including myself, would have stopped to think about Guerin's sacrifices if it weren't for this film, and that makes it a powerful and wonderful tool. Perhaps, it will inspire people to read more on her plight and that of others like her. The film reminds us, during the close, that nearly 200 journalists have died doing their jobs since Guerin was murdered in 1996.

The film is particularly good at portraying the mindset that allows people to put themselves in harm's way despite fair warning. This may be Schumacher's greatest picture.

Film critics wait all year for the fall because that's when studios begin trotting out their finest goods, the prestige films they believe have a shot at Oscar gold. It's too early to start making predictions, so I'll just say it wouldn't be surprising to see Blanchett land at least an Oscar nomination. So far, hers is the single best performance any actress has delivered this year.

Rated R for violence, profanity and some drug content.