Veronica Guerin (film)

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Veronica Guerin

Veronica Guerin film poster
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
Written by Carol Doyle
Mary Agnes Donoghue
Starring Cate Blanchett
Gerard McSorley
Ciarán Hinds
Brenda Fricker
Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
Distributed by Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s) July 8, 2003
Running time 98 min.
Language English
Budget ~ $17,000,000
IMDb profile

Veronica Guerin is a 2003 film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The movie is based on the true story of Irish journalist Veronica Guerin.

Contents

[edit] Selected cast

[edit] Plot

  • Tagline: Why would anyone want to kill Veronica Guerin?
Veronica lies dead in her car
Veronica lies dead in her car

The film starts with her murder in the Naas Road by two men on a motorcycle on June 26, 1996 before returning to the past to examine the last 18 months of her life. Veronica Guerin, a feisty Irish reporter for Sunday Independent, has been digging into and writing about Dublin's drug trade. She begins with the prepubescent addicts who shoot up on the street and works her way up the big dealers. She flirts with sources in the criminal underworld, notably John Traynor. As her investigation deepens, things heat up. She is beaten and shot and the life of her young son is threatened. Her informant begins to give her inaccurate information in an attempt to protect the identity of his boss, John Gilligan and his own skin. Traynor misleads Guerin by offering up criminal Gerry "The Monk" Hutch as a red herring. She pursues him with a vengeance, only to discover that he is not involved. Despite Traynor's attempts to distract her, the threat of violence, and the fears of her family, Guerin refuses to give up. In the end, her determination costs her her life, but the resulting martyrdom helps her cause.

[edit] Ethical Dimensions

This movie is sometimes assigned to journalism ethics classes because of the ethical dilemma that the main character, Veronica Guerin, is faced with.[citation needed] The ethical dilemma as portrayed in the film is the lengths to which a journalist should take in order to get the story. Guerin pursued her leads to the very end, approaching dangerous underworld leaders on the front porches of their homes. One such occasion results in a vicious assault on her by John Gilligan. Guerin not only puts herself at risk but her entire family when they too become targets because of their connection to her.

The solution to the ethical dilemma in the film was to either switch beats or take oneself off the story. Essentially, it means that the story never gets out to the public because it is never completed. In this film, Guerin does not back down, resulting in her death but also resulting in the drug issue being resolved by the Irish government.

[edit] Awards and nominations

  • Empire Awards
    • Won - Best Actress
  • Golden Globes
    • Nominated - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama
  • IFTA Awards
    • Won - Best Irish film (Audience Award)
    • Nominated - Best Irish Film (IFTA Award)
    • Nominated - Best Supporting Actor in Film/TV
    • Nominated - Best Supporting Actor in Film/TV
    • Nominated - Best Supporting Actress in Film/TV
    • Nominated - Best Cinematography/TV Photography
    • Nominated - Best Costume Design
    • Nominated - Best Hair/Make-Up

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Joel Schumacher

The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) • D.C. Cab (1983) • St. Elmo's Fire (1985) • The Lost Boys (1987) • Cousins (1989) • Flatliners (1990) • Dying Young (1991) • Falling Down (1993) • The Client (1994) • Batman Forever (1995) • A Time to Kill (1996) • Batman & Robin (1997) • 8mm (1999) • Flawless (1999) • Tigerland (2000) • Bad Company (2002) • Phone Booth (2003) • Veronica Guerin (2003) • Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (2004) • The Number 23 (2007)