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Every once in a while, we women need to watch a
you-go-girl kind of movie. Sure, sappy romantic comedies have their place (preferably
accompanied by a pint of Ben and Jerry’s), but sometimes we just need to be inspired by a
movie about a woman who really makes a difference. And the truer the story, the better.
You’ve probably seen Erin Brockovich, the Julia Roberts movie
about a single mom who ends up uncovering a major scandal—and going door-to-door until
she gets to the bottom of it. Like Erin Brockovich, Veronica Guerin is a
real girl-power movie, based on the true story of a fiery Irish reporter who refused to
back down in her attempts to get to the bottom of a problem that no one else would
address.
Cate Blanchett plays Guerin, a wife, mother, and well-known Irish
journalist. In 1994, she became outraged by the drug problem in Ireland. As she walked
through the needle-littered streets and spoke to young addicts and saw the unexplained
wealth of powerful (yet questionably employed) men in the city, she decided to do
something about it—to report about a topic that no one else dared to talk about. Instead
of writing a syrupy editorial piece, Veronica decided to head right to the source of the
problem—so she showed up at suspected drug lords’ homes and started to ask questions.
She talked to the cops. She talked to her favorite informant (Ciarán Hinds). But
Veronica’s confrontations with drug lords didn’t make her any friends. Instead, she was
sworn at and beaten up and shot at—but she still refused to back down. The closer she
got, the more her life was in danger—the deeper she dug. And though her battle
eventually cost her her life (no, I’m not giving anything away here—Veronica’s murder is
the first scene in the movie), it opened a few eyes as well.
Veronica
Guerin is a heart-wrenching yet inspiring film. Blanchett is extraordinary, as
usual. She plays Veronica with strength and passion—and it’s clear that she did her
homework. This is especially evident if you take a few minutes to watch two of the DVD’s
special features: a clip of the real Veronica Guerin giving a speech at an awards
ceremony and the deleted scene from the movie of Blanchett recreating the same (though
shortened and slightly edited) speech—right down to the nervous
coughs.
There are, as with any film, a few disappointments. The story is
hard to follow at times—between the thick Irish accents (which, though totally
appropriate and necessary, are often difficult to understand for those of us across the
pond) and the plethora of characters that seem to melt together. It also didn’t help
that the filmmakers chose to begin the film with the day of Veronica’s death—and then
jump back two years to the beginning of the story. Not only was it a bit confusing, but
I guess I still prefer the end of a movie to be at least a bit of a
surprise.
Despite those few small complaints, however, Veronica
Guerin is definitely worth seeing. It’s an excellent story about what one passionate
person (one passionate woman) can accomplish if she really puts her heart into
it.
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