Bloody Sunday

An amazingly captivating portrait of the events of a heated afternoon. The documentary format is very effective, there are moments that make you believe you are watching authentic footage. The action is not very clear at times, but that’s appropriate for the confusion of the events. It would take Greengrass a couple more films to perfect his style, but Bloody Sunday is still bloody good. (16/02/2011)

A very documentary and realistic account of the events running up to Black Sunday on January 30th, 1972; an event that fueled the IRA’s cause... The movie follows (without judging) how all of the parties involved saw things. Greengrass for the first time showed that he is not only a very able screenwriter, but also a very talented director whose style of shaky directing and camera sucks you into the action. Despite being very strong with lots of powerful moments, the ending could have been drawn out a little longer, letting it sink in better, like in United 93. (26/03/2005)

A film about human rights, which don't simply fall from the sky, even in the oldest European democracy. Practically everything - the performances, expressive techniques, and editing - is subordinated to a documentary approach, as if we were watching archival television footage of a demonstration. The shaky camera moves from place to place, creating the impression of a war reporter's work. This is an example of a politically engaged film, based on a true event. Overall impression: 85%. (12/07/2006)

An impressively crafted “documentary”, extremely raw and sparingly shot. It’s not wonder that after this, they watned Paul Greengrass for Bourne, where unlike Bloody Sunday he had an attractive movie cover of a fictional hero, so it was fun, because this film, from a cinema point of view, is not fun, it's excruciatingly long and extremely volatile. As a probe into history, it is impressive, and as far as its narrative value is concerned, there is nothing to complain about. But to make it into a nearly two-hour film, with a cameraman bouncing around the set most of the time with a handheld camera, that's a living hell. (24/09/2017)

Incredibly intense. In the center of the action, Greengrass presents us with a bloody reflection of reality. A drizzly Derry, dynamic camerawork, precise James Nesbitt (a goodie who doesn’t slip into cliché is like gold dust these days) and realistic action. The strange editing style goes against modern approaches, but the fade-outs work perfectly. Political points to the IRA. - Listen, you can’t just leave them lying around her like pieces of meat! - There’s no room for them ! (09/08/2015)