A Belfast Story

Last updated

A Belfast Story
A Belfast Story poster.jpg
Directed byNathan Todd
Written byNathan Todd
Produced byJohn Todd
Starring Colm Meaney
CinematographyPeter Holland
Edited by John Wright
Music by Nick Glennie-Smith
Mac Quayle
Release date
  • 20 September 2013 (2013-09-20)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryNorthern Ireland
LanguageEnglish

A Belfast Story is a 2013 Irish crime film written and directed by Nathan Todd and starring Colm Meaney. It is Todd's directorial debut. [1]

Contents

Plot

A BELFAST STORY explores life after terrorism. Set in a city which has weathered hundreds of years of hatred, 30 years of bombs, and a war without winners, just victims. A new era brings new risks. There is peace, but that can also be deadly

Cast

Reception

The film received negative reviews and has a 14% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [2]

Stephen Dalton of The Hollywood Reporter wrote in his review, "Nathan Todd attempts something similar in his debut feature, a murder mystery with political overtones, but his inexperience lets him down badly." He also added, "not even [Meaney's] heavyweight gravitas can save A Belfast Story from its weak script, sluggish pacing and one-dimensional characters." [3]

Steve Rose of The Guardian gave the film 2 stars out of 5 and wrote, "the plot scatters too many pieces about, putting the film's star off screen for long stretches." [4]

Controversy

A month before its release, the film garnered controversy in Great Britain for the filmmakers' publicity stunt of sending a nail bomb kit to the media to promote the film. [3] [5] Nathan Todd later issued an apology. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotten Tomatoes</span> American review aggregator for film and television

Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang. Although the name "Rotten Tomatoes" connects to the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes in disapproval of a poor stage performance, the direct inspiration for the name from Duong, Lee, and Wang came from an equivalent scene in the 1992 Canadian film Léolo.

<i>District 13</i> 2004 French action film by Pierre Morel

District 13, is a 2004 French action film directed by Pierre Morel and written and produced by Luc Besson. It depicts parkour in several stunt sequences completed without wires or computer-generated imagery. Because of this, some film critics drew comparisons to the Thai film Ong-Bak. David Belle plays Leïto, the story's main character. This is the final film which released during Tony D'Amario's lifetime, before his death in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teresa Palmer</span> Australian actress (born 1986)

Teresa Mary Palmer is an Australian actress. She began her career with roles in Bedtime Stories (2008), The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010), Take Me Home Tonight (2011), and I Am Number Four (2011). She received further recognition for starring in the films Warm Bodies (2013), Lights Out (2016), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), and Berlin Syndrome (2017). She also starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced the drama film The Ever After (2014), with her husband Mark Webber. From 2018 to 2022, Palmer starred as Diana Bishop in the supernatural drama series A Discovery of Witches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinitum Nihil</span> American film production company

Infinitum Nihil is an American film production company, founded by Johnny Depp. The company is run by Depp's sister Christi Dembrowski. Depp founded the company in 2004 to develop projects where he will serve as actor and/or producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Stone Quarry</span> American film production company

The Stone Quarry is an American production company established in 2004 by filmmaker Zack Snyder, his wife Deborah Snyder and their producing partner Wesley Coller.

<i>Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa</i> 2013 British comedy film

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is a 2013 British comedy film starring Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge, a fictional presenter he has played on various BBC radio and television shows since 1991. It was directed by Declan Lowney and written by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham and Neil and Rob Gibbons. Colm Meaney co-starred as Pat Farrell, a DJ who takes hostages after he is fired from Partridge's radio station; Partridge is enlisted as a negotiator.

<i>One Chance</i> (film) 2013 British-American biographical film

One Chance is a 2013 British-American biographical film about opera singer and Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts, directed by David Frankel and written by Justin Zackham. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>Tusk</i> (2014 film) Body horror comedy directed by Kevin Smith

Tusk is a 2014 American independent body horror comedy psychological thriller film written and directed by Kevin Smith, based on a story from his SModcast podcast. The film stars Michael Parks, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Lily-Rose Depp and Johnny Depp. The film is the first in Smith's planned True North trilogy, followed by Yoga Hosers (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Chazelle</span> American filmmaker

Damien Sayre Chazelle is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for directing the films Whiplash (2014), La La Land (2016), First Man (2018), and Babylon (2022), for which he has won various awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a BAFTA Award.

<i>The Journey</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Nick Hamm

The Journey is a 2016 drama film directed by Nick Hamm and written by Colin Bateman. The film is a fictional account of the true story of how political enemies Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness formed an unlikely political alliance. It stars Timothy Spall as Paisley and Colm Meaney as McGuinness, with Freddie Highmore, John Hurt, Toby Stephens, and Ian Beattie in supporting roles.

<i>Stronger</i> (film) 2017 film directed by David Gordon Green

Stronger is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed by David Gordon Green and written by John Pollono, based on the memoir of the same name by Jeff Bauman and Bret Witter. It follows Bauman, who loses his legs in the Boston Marathon bombings and must adjust to his new life. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Bauman, with Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Carlos Sanz, and Clancy Brown in supporting roles.

<i>Will</i> (TV series) 2017 American drama television series

Will is a historical fiction television series about the life of William Shakespeare in his early 20s. The series was ordered for a first season, consisting of ten episodes, on May 18, 2016. It premiered on TNT on July 10, 2017, and concluded on September 4, 2017. It was originally ordered to series at Pivot in 2013 but was never broadcast. On September 5, 2017, the series was canceled after one season.

<i>Halal Daddy</i> 2017 Irish-French film

Halal Daddy is a 2017 Irish-German-French comedy film featuring Sarah Bolger, Colm Meaney, David Kross and Art Malik.

<i>Pixie</i> (film) 2020 film by Barnaby Thompson

Pixie is a 2020 British comedy thriller film directed by Barnaby Thompson. The film stars Olivia Cooke, Ben Hardy, Daryl McCormack, Colm Meaney, and Alec Baldwin.

<i>Sergio</i> (2020 film) 2020 American film

Sergio is a 2020 American biographical drama film about the United Nations diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello. The film is directed by Greg Barker, from a screenplay written by Craig Borten. It stars Wagner Moura, Ana de Armas, Garret Dillahunt, Clemens Schick, Will Dalton, Bradley Whitford and Brían F. O'Byrne.

References

  1. "A Belfast Story: latest movie take on Troubles may drive you up wall". Belfast Telegraph . 17 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  2. "A Belfast Story (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 Dalton, Stephen (22 September 2013). "A Belfast Story: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  4. Rose, Steve (19 September 2013). "A Belfast Story – review". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  5. "NI film A Belfast Story promoted by 'nail bomb kit'". BBC News . 27 August 2013. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  6. Sherwin, Adam (23 August 2013). "A Belfast Story director apologises for sending 'nail bomb' promotional kit branded 'the most distasteful freebie ever'" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.