EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

blacknorth After seeing his wife and young daughter gunned down by a British soldier during a riot in Belfast, Hennessy, (Rod Steiger), decides to blow up the state opening of Parliament by way of revenge. As you would.As a revenge fantasy, Hennessy is fine, apart from the end. As a political thriller, it's laughable. To think the IRA would issue a contract on one of its own volunteers for attempting to kill the British head of state when ten years later it tried and came close to killing Margaret Thatcher demonstrates a lack of research and familiarity with the subject matter.The renewed Troubles were only five years old at the time of filming, and film-makers are always looking for ways of giving us the same old same old in new surrounds - so Hennessy is nothing more than an old-fashioned thriller - implausible, slightly absurd and highly engaging - in no way does it ever address or seek to address the causes of conflict in the north. That comes as a welcome relief.What I liked most about Hennessy the man were his bull-like qualities, his tenacity in the face of over-whelming odds, and the audacity of his revenge fantasy. By seeking to assassinate no less than the head of state he immediately revokes status - the pomp of the Queen's entourage is contrasted bleakly with his family's funeral procession on television. He is conspicuously missing - he has a job of work to do. As a man who strips wires for a living he inhabits all the subtleties of a tradesman - untiring, no-nonsense, get the job done...This film outraged the establishment and liberal press in Britain, who wanted IRA men portrayed neither as heroes or anti-heroes, but criminals. But every country has its own establishment and in Ireland Hennessy is counted a hero, not because of what he did do, but because of what he didn't do - the death of his wife and child are real enough set against his non-act, let that stand.Incidentally, don't miss the wonderful opening of this film which shows footage of Belfast city centre before it was demolished by redevelopers at the behest of the city council. The old town was a beautiful place - if you're ever in Belfast take a walk down Joy St and see the last remaining cultural architecture in the town. It's somewhat ironic that Hennessy's job is that of a demolition expert, and we first see him demolishing a piece of old Belfast by explosive. Maybe what goes around comes around, eh, Niall.

ianlouisiana Released at the time when the PIRA were blowing innocent Brits to pieces, it is instructive to re - assess "Hennessy" at a time when Islamic extremists are blowing innocent Brits to pieces .For their potential victims,the terrifying difference between the two organisations is the care the PIRA bombers took to protect their own lives and the indifference of the Islamists towards their own lives or anybody else's.It is depressing to note that the PIRA's present "Campaign" has been going on for forty years,and although they have clearly been bribed by a craven Labour Government to adopt a less overt profile,their aim remains the same. If the Islamists operate on such a time scale - and there is evidence to suggest that their plans are even more long - term - then Brits run the risk of being blown to bits for several generations to come.In that context what can we learn from "Hennessy"? Simply that revenge is the strongest of motives,and that a man who perceives he has nothing to live for is a deadly,unstoppable enemy. And that politics makes strange bedfellows. Mr Rod Steiger plays explosives expert Hennessy,a man maddened by grief at his wife's death (albeit accidental)at the hands of Brit soldiers during street disturbances in Belfast.He plans to extract a terrible vengeance by blowing up the Royal Family at the State Opening of Parliament. Fearful of a backlash,the IRA leadership co - operate with the security forces to stop him. It is a fact universally acknowledged that no terrorist organisation can flourish without at least the tacit support of the community it sprung from.The Provisionals have significant if silent support in a large part of Belfast.Thirty years ago it was more overt and vocal.Hennessy was not a Provo or even a fellow traveller - but he knew a man who was. As the Brits and the Bhoys close in, Hennessy single - mindedly gets on with his plan.And,as we have learned to our cost,there is no defence against a man with nothing to lose. Mr Steiger has somehow gained the reputation of being a "great" actor. Well,he is certainly recognisable as an "actor",I'll say that. Give him an accent i.e. "In the heat of the night","The Pawnbroker" and he showboats quite happily.Thus in "Hennessy" he does "Belfast" pretty well and is right at home playing a broken man,but unfortunately he is never Hennessy,merely Rod Steiger playing Hennessy,a small but important distinction. As we look over our shoulders in a tabloid frenzy of suspicion and fear we reflect that the great Alf Garnet once said "You can't have a democracy without shooting a few people" and it's looking increasingly likely that he may have had a point.

Jonathon Dabell Back in 1975, when this controversial political thriller was released, critics were quick to call it "implausible", "unbelievable" and "far-fetched". But since then, the western world has had a few wake-up calls. The 9/11 terrorist attacks; the Madrid bombings; hunt-campaigners breaking into Parliament and hurling powder pellets onto the Prime Minister; the suicide bombings on the London Underground.... to name but a few. In retrospect, Hennessy may have been made at a time when the top-brass of Britsh and American governments and armies thought themselves invulnerable, but looking at it from a modern perspective this is a chillingly possible tale. It is not even slightly far-fetched or implausible.... this is a genuinely unsettling, suspenseful and thought-provoking thriller.Northern Irish explosive expert Niall Hennessy (Rod Steiger) lives a peaceful life in Belfast with his wife and daughter. He has IRA contacts, including the dangerous and wanted Tobin (Eric Porter), but Hennessy repeatedly refuses to get involved in their violent activities, even refusing to provide them with small amounts of gelignite. However, one day during a street riot the British Army inadvertently open fire on the rioters, and in the confusion Hennessy's wife and child are killed. Distraught, Hennessy heads for London with the aim of revisiting his loss on the English capital. His unthinkable plot is to blow up the Royal Family and the members of parliament in the House of Peers. Fearing a backlash and an influx of extra soldiers in Belfast, Tobin sets out to stop Hennessy. Also, Special Branch detective Inspector Hollis (Richard Johnson - who also came up with the film's story) races against time to prevent Hennessy's explosive scheme.As in The Day Of The Jackal, the audience knows from the outset that Hennessy's horrifying plot is doomed to fail.... but also like The Day Of The Jackal, this film still generates terrific excitement. Hennessy, as essayed by the excellent Rod Steiger (in one of his most subtle, least hammy roles), is a very sympathetic figure and it is only because his revenge plot is so terrible that we do not want him to succeed. Hollis, the cop out to stop him, is very convincingly played by Richard Johnson, and there are further notable performances from Lee Remick as the widow of a one-time IRA saboteur and Trevor Howard as Hollis's over-confident, under-cautious superior. Director Don Sharp, whose films are usually mediocre at best, is in uncommonly good form, serving up a thriller of considerable tension and topicality. In today's vulnerable society, films of this kind remind us of the perilous position we're in at the mercy of embittered extremists.... and Hennessy is one of the best of its type.

dewey22 If anyone liked "Day of the Jackal", then they will certainly like this movie. The plot is similar in that a political enemy is to be killed by an individual. In this case two groups are trying to stop the killing-the government of Great Britain and the IRA. The IRA is not trying to defend great Britain but trying to prevent the backlash that would have been certain if the Queen and her family along with the House of Lords and Parliment were blown up. Definitely worth seeing in any case because of Rod Steiger's performance..