The Devil’s Own (1997)

Directed by Alan J. Pakula. Starring Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Rubén Blades, Margaret Colin, Treat Williams, Natascha McElhone, George Hearn, Mitchell Ryan, Paul Ronan, David O’Hara, Simon Jones. [R]

IRA terrorist Pitt travels to the States to bargain for weapons (Stinger missiles, to be exact) to help the fighting cause in his homeland. During his stay, temporary room and board is arranged with a family whose patriarch is a New York City police officer (Ford), entirely unaware of Pitt’s background or purpose. A film of bits and pieces that never cohere either narratively or thematically (with a particularly confused view on moral justification), which should be no surprise since the rumors of a troubled production were targeted primarily on haphazard script rewrites during filming. The focus on character is appreciable, but while the stars both have sufficient screen presence, neither seem to have a firm grasp on what their roles are supposed to be (plus, Pitt’s North Irish brogue borders on butchery at times). The first half is salvageable, but the back-end peters out quickly, leading to a spineless, ho-hum climax. Pakula’s final film—he died suddenly the year after its release. One of Ford’s daughters is played by Julia Stiles.

42/100