A Further Gesture

Dowd (Rea), an IRA prisoner in the H-blocks, is gloomily facing his sentence, until he spontaneously joins a comrade (Gleeson) in a risky escape. Dowd begins a new life in New York, but he might as well be in prison again - until he strikes up a friendship with co-worker Tulio (Molina) and gets to know his close group of Guatemalan exiles. A bond with Monica (Rosana Pastor) seals his acceptance among the exiles, and Dowd learns the dark truth behind their presence in the US. Ronan Bennett's screenplay, based on an idea by Rea, is free from special pleading: there's no turning back, for instance, once you've used violence in the service of ideology. Director Dornhelm peaks in the opening burst of action, but keeps control of a narrative that asks spectators to assess their own sympathies. In trying to combine action thriller, love story and political think piece, the film bites off more than it can chew, but Rea and Gleeson are absolutely credible, and there's black Ulster humour in abundance.