The Dark Territory
A deep dive into unsettling, obscure, and often overlooked works in film, literature, and music. From body horror to haunted Americana, industrial noise to dystopian novels — it's about exploring the media that lingers in the shadows.
The Dark Territory
Night Run Through Belfast In '71
Sirens, bin lids, and a single bad order turn a routine patrol into a citywide manhunt. We dive into ’71, the relentless Belfast thriller that threads survival action through the moral fog of The Troubles, and we do it with a clear map of the factions, motives, and betrayals that close in on a young British private. From the jittery arrival to the first shot fired in broad daylight, we break down how the film builds dread: kids hurling insults and piss, neighbors signaling danger, and a commander who confuses optics for safety.
What follows is a masterclass in pursuit and character. We trace the chase through back alleys and burned-out flats, the split between the OIRA and the Provisionals, and the way power brokers coax chaos to serve their ends. A “safe” pub becomes a bomb site, and we linger on the haunting aftermath—the disorienting hush, the stunned motions, the instant recalculation of who can be trusted. Then the movie gets intimate: a father and daughter risk everything to stitch a stranger back together. Their dialogue cuts to the bone on class, command, and expendability, and our take unpacks why that scene defines the story more than any gunfight.
As the net tightens—Divis Flats searches, a basement execution test, and a brutal reshuffling of who lives and who gets silenced—we talk about conscience under pressure and the cost of wearing any uniform. We also spotlight the craft choices that make ’71 feel both immediate and mythic: grainy 16mm days, icy digital nights, and a score that drives without drowning the quiet. By the end, illusions are gone, debts remain, and the question lingers: when sides blur, what does courage look like?
If this episode hits you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your take on ’71’s most unforgettable moment.
Welcome to the Dark Territory Podcast. I'm Sean. I'm Brandon. Each week we dive into the films, music, and books that feel their passion for everything dark, mysterious, and strange. Today we're gonna dive into the 2014 Thriller 71. Good movie. Yeah. Um, this was another movie that you recommended, Brandon.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah. I recommend all the movies. I'm in charge of uh entertainment.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, Brandon's the uh the movie scout. Yeah. And this was actually one that I hadn't seen before. It's kind of been on my radar, you know. Like I've kind of seen the the cover around, and I was like, oh, that looks kind of interesting, but I never never got around to watching it until last night.
SPEAKER_02:I watched it on Lark one night. Yeah, I was bored when I actually had cable, and um, I was like, oh fuck it, I'll watch it. Yeah, I was like, damn, that's a good movie. Yeah, I mean, the look is beautiful. I mean, I've always been interested in uh Irish history and especially the Troubles. It was uh such a big part of the landscape of Ireland for a long time. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So we start out with uh Private Gary Hook. He's our protagonist. Yeah, and this this uh this actor's great. He does most of the film without any real dialogue for most of it. You don't really hear him speak until the very end.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and their their accents are so thick sometimes. Uh I had a hard time even understanding what they were saying. Yeah, same. And one thing that you mentioned is a lot of them don't mention their names, they don't say their names because you know they're in the middle of a conflict. You don't want to name drop anybody, you know, especially yourself, because a lot of a lot of the IRA members, the IRA split into two factions in real life. Yeah, they had uh the O IRA, the original IRA, yeah, and you had what you call the Provisionals, yes, which was the younger more extreme radical. Yeah after the after Bloody Sunday, yeah, the IRA split in into those two factions, and the provos, they wanted to take it to the utmost extreme.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. And you see that in this film, yeah. Yeah, so we uh we we start off with basic training for the the British sold soldiers. You just see these two guys duking it out, you know doing it a little boxing, I guess, is is part of part of the training.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it uh boxing increases your aggression, yeah. And I think it, you know, they're just trying to foster some camaraderie. Yes. Our army does that, yeah. And uh the Germans did that a lot in World War II. They uh they wanted the their soldiers to be super aggressive, so they can they they wanted them to box and stuff and fight.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so I mean you you basically follow Hook through the the basic training, you know, they they do some war games out in the woods, and um you see him with a rifle, and he kind of gets this like funny little grin on his face, I think, when he's first shooting his rifle. Then we we uh get to the show where he he uh hanging out with his little brother. Yeah, and this is this is kind of pulls at your heartstrings a little bit because you can see the real bond that they have. Yeah, you know, and he's at first I thought it was his son.
SPEAKER_02:That's what I thought too. Because he leaves it's not a borstel, you know, because a borst is like a a kid prison in Britain. Yeah. So it's it's some kind of halfway house because they he's going to back to the military.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. It's kind of weird. It wasn't clear to me either what exactly where that kid lived. Yeah. Uh, but it definitely looked like some sort of boarding.
SPEAKER_02:Like a residential home for kids. Yeah. Because there's you know, there's like a door, and this guy's kind of dressing hook down for showing up late, and Hooks just kind of it's like, you should know better, you're in the military. And Hook's like, fuck you. Fuck you, yeah. Fucking open the fucking door.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So they uh basically you see him hanging out with uh his younger brother, they're playing you know soccer a little bit, and he's kind of takes him out to get something to eat.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, ask him if he's got a girlfriend.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, he's like, Let me see your teeth.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, uh.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and so basically he uh he drops him off and then kind of says his goodbyes before he goes off.
SPEAKER_02:Hook gets his orders, uh they're getting sent to Belfast, Northern Ireland.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:In a riot security detail.
SPEAKER_00:Yep. And you get this nice kind of sweeping panning shot of uh Belfast.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and they uh he he's uh he's on the boat heading towards the island, and uh he's got he's just got kind of like a a a wistful look on his face, like he doesn't know what's going on. No, he hasn't. Because that's funny because one of their CEOs are talking about, you know, they're they're getting sent to Northern Ireland, and they're like, You're not leaving the UK, right? You're not leaving British soil, yeah. So don't worry about it. Right. Okay. Yeah, it's still fucking poor, dude. It doesn't matter if it's at home. It's like, no, you're going to the to the Republic of Ireland. Yeah. It's not fucking Britain. Right. That always irked me about that in that movie. It's like, yeah. Fuckers.
SPEAKER_00:Although it turns out I guess a lot of this film was filmed in uh in the UK. Yeah. Uh, because I guess Belfast doesn't look like Belfast like it did back in the day. No. So they had to film it. No, a lot of it got fucking blown up. Yeah. Yep. One thing I really that struck me right away in this film, especially in some of these more meditative scenes, are is the music, the score. I thought was great. It's got this nice kind of driving boom. So you kind of feel this urgency. But then there's these nice, kind of beautiful, sort of kind of reminds me of like uh explosions in the sky. Kind of got that like guitar and with a little bit of reverb and really nice kind of atmospheric setting.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah. Yeah, I I just liked how fast paced it was.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, it does, yeah. It picks up for sure. That's one thing I was surprised though, even though it is fast-paced, they have these nice moments where it kind of stops everything for and it gives the audience a chance to get a breather. Yep. Yeah, man. So yeah, he shows up at uh I guess where they're gonna be stationed and um yeah, it's like a it's like a fucking looks like a gymnasium or something, like in a school. Like a school gymnasium, yeah. Yeah, they just got basically cots or no, no, they're sleeping on the floor. They got their sleeping bags, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:He uh they get a rundown on the uh the deteriorating situation in Belfast.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:They're told about Divas Flats, which was a real place in Northern Ireland. Yep. And that's uh and to stay away. Yeah. Well, they tell them that you can orient yourself and get your bearings by looking at because it's the tallest building, and you know, it's like a tenant, like a like an apartment building, but it's it's like fucking thirty stories, it's huge.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:That was uh a real incident in the IR and uh the troubles happened. Have you ever heard of the book Say Nothing?
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, that that story is based on a a true a true case. The provisional IRA they kidnapped a mother of ten and murdered her. Wow. Yeah. Right as a political example, kind of like the thing is, yeah, it's like during the troubles, you had to watch out for your neighbors. Yeah. Because they they were your enemies were literally living across the street from you. Yeah. You know, you could have Protestants and Catholics living right next to each other. Yep. Sometimes they didn't even know that they were like it's not like they put signs out saying, like, hey, I'm a Catholic, I'm a Protestant. Yeah, some of them did though, like the ones that didn't give a fuck. They were like the real loyalists. Yeah, like uh, or uh, you know, you might see a guy with R U C tattooed on his fucking knuckles and shit. It's like Yeah, dude. Yeah, she was a mother of ten and they took her out and they shot her. That's messed up. Wow.
SPEAKER_00:Well, so we uh we get Lieutenant Armitage. Uh he introduces himself to the platoon and uh fucking green, dude. Yeah, dude. He even admits he's like, Yeah, I'm a new guy too. Yeah, but he does not instill any confidence into these men.
SPEAKER_02:It's like uh Lieutenant Gorman and Aliens.
SPEAKER_00:It's like oh you're the one that's gonna be leading us?
SPEAKER_02:Well fucking you're full of shit, bro.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but uh after his little you know haphazard introduction, he kind of you know scan scatters off and uh they just lay down, you know, kind of get settled in, get ready for uh the next day and what's gonna come.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, Gary can't uh Gary can't sleep. Yeah, I don't think any of them probably could. No. But goes out to get some air, yep, and um he sees uh Captain Sandy Browning and Lieutenant and Sergeant Lewis, yeah, where they're members of the MRF, also known as the military reaction force. There's a lot of a lot of uh abbreviation that goes on in this conflict. Yeah, some of it's a little hard to follow. Yeah, you got the MRF, the R UC, you know fucking alphabet soup, man.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. So he sees them going down the stairs, yeah, and uh they're all gonna meet and kind of go over the plans.
SPEAKER_02:They get briefed on uh what they're gonna be doing.
SPEAKER_00:But yeah, then we get we get uh Lieutenant Armitage comes in again and makes probably one of the dumbest decisions. Yeah, you know, he fucking says, you know, we wanna make the civilians comfortable, so we're not gonna put on riot gear. He wants to go in in a peacekeeping capacity. It's like these aren't peacekeeping times, man. No. But basically all the soldiers are ordered to take off the riot gear and they're gonna go in unprotected. Yeah. Which I think later on they regret.
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02:But yeah, they load up, you know, and they head out. Yeah, they get an order to assist the uh Royal Ulcer Constabulary in uh house-to-house searches for weapons. Yep. In the Shank Hill.
SPEAKER_00:And we see how how kind of brutal that goes.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Fuck yeah. I like the shots leading up to you know where they're where they're gonna be stationed, where you you see already some of the aftermath of what's been going on.
SPEAKER_02:You see the burning cars and these poor kids that are involved in this shit, they're you know, they're trying to play. Yeah, like out in the street.
SPEAKER_00:And then they have to be ushered in. Yeah. There's a great scene where these neighbor kids start they start lobbing the piss uh water balloons.
SPEAKER_02:They're uh yeah, the troops, they're in uh like Saracen armored vehicles, and they're bulletproof. So but these kids don't give a shit. They're like, get the fuck out of here, you bastards. Yeah, the poor soldiers that fill them with piss bottles. They're like, that's pissed. Yeah, like throwing shit at them. It's like wow.
SPEAKER_00:Kids are crazy, and they're just they're just giving them the V and piss off and moonin' them. Yeah, it's great. Yeah, so then like as they continue on, the motorcade continues on, you just see their windshield full of shit. Yeah, they're trying to you know funny navigate with shit on their windshields. Yeah, but yeah, as they roll in, they uh you see a lot of these housewives, the way they can they kind of warn everybody that uh the British are coming. Yeah, they take the the lids from their garbage cans and start banging them on the sidewalk.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, this me this like just massive cacophony of noise. Yeah, I mean, that would be unsettling in and of itself, yeah. Yeah, you're like, oh shit, they're warning everybody. And they just keep doing it, yeah. They they're not stopping. I think you know, and it was probably a little psychological warfare on their part because you I wouldn't be able to think in that.
SPEAKER_00:No, and uh also I'd be like wondering what's around the corner, like what is this gonna bring to our doorstep?
SPEAKER_02:It's like you know, are they are they calling their menfolk to flip? Yeah, when the well that's exactly what they were doing. Yeah, yeah. Hiding the guns and explosives and like signaling. It's just yeah, it's wild. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Things start start to escalate. Things start almost immediately. Oh, yeah, almost immediately. You know, they they uh create a perimeter, you know, then all of a sudden all of the locals start showing up and they're getting into their face, they're hot, dude.
SPEAKER_02:They're pissed, they're like, get the fuck out of here.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, man, you don't belong here. No, then uh when things really kick off is when uh they start the police start beating down this this dude in the street, and it riles up all the people.
SPEAKER_02:Well, first Hook sees uh the RUC guys are going through house, they're going house to house. Right. That's right, and they're starting to beat people up and they're terrorizing this mother, this young mother with her kids sitting there.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, dude. It's really hard to watch because you're just like, damn, dude, they're not they're like they're ruthless. Yeah, they're not trying to be nice. Oh no. Why? Why the fact that they leave the right here if they're gonna act this way? Yeah, you know, you might as well look like you're gonna go to war.
SPEAKER_02:No, you can blame Armitage for that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, idiot. Yeah, for real. But then we get uh basically a woman, she's uh she spits on one of the soldiers. Yeah, right in his face. Right in his fucking face. Uh or Orla, I think is her name. Yeah. Yeah. Calls him a fascist, spits on him, and then uh every like all hell starts to break loose after that. But yeah, uh oh, the husband that that's being beaten.
SPEAKER_02:He gets taken away.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, they they bring him out and uh take him away, and basically they're in full retreat at this point because uh the the rocks start fly flying and the rocks start flying, and people are fucking pissed.
SPEAKER_02:They're just like fuck all of you.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and Wolf Soldier gets knocked the fuck out. Oh yeah, and then they have to come run into his aid. Yeah, and then uh one guy just straight shoots in the air.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they scatter like rats, man. They're like, oh shit.
SPEAKER_00:Not before the the fucking kid, though. This kid has balls, man. Yeah, kid goes running in and grabs a rifle.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and is just grabs that armelite and takes off.
SPEAKER_00:Yep, yep. And that's when Hook basically says, you know, he's got a he's got the rifle. Yeah. And they uh and he goes running after this kid.
SPEAKER_02:There was a uh I saw this uh it was a long time ago. I was 16 or 17, and um I saw this guy, he was uh he had this shirt on, and it said God made the Irish and the British Armalite made them equal. Damn. I was like, wow, that's quite an ad. Wow. Yeah, that was the basic service rifle for uh the British during the troubles.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, unfortunately in this movie they keep calling them guns.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, these are rifles, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so Hook is running after the kid with a rifle. You're like, I mean, at this point, I'm like, fuck, man, that kid's gonna get himself killed, or he's gonna kill someone else. Oh, yeah, you know, and uh that's when you know these men basically gang up on the the soldiers, uh the dude soldiers that went after him.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, Hook and his buddy, they start getting their asses just beat in the middle of the street. They're getting fucked off by these guys. Oh and uh and uh this uh this lady, one of the like uh the older ladies, she just jumps right in the middle and she's like, We've had enough, they've had enough, yeah. No more today. Yeah, it's like they're young enough to be your sons, and she's like pointing. It's like lady, yeah, she's brave.
SPEAKER_00:I was like, Yeah, man. And then you see this took me by surprise because you see this guy in this gray hoodie, uh Paul. Is it Haggerty? Paul Haggerty, yeah, yeah. Paul Haggerty comes just walking up, just cool as can be, and takes out his pistol and blows one of the soldiers away. Yeah, just right in the head. Yeah, and the woman is beside herself at this point. She's just can't believe it.
SPEAKER_02:It's Sean and Paul, they're two of the provost, the provisional IRA. Yeah. And yeah, just no compunction, just shoots the guy right in the head. Cold blooded.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And that's when we know it's it's it's real now.
SPEAKER_02:That's a real deal right there.
SPEAKER_00:Yep.
SPEAKER_02:And we keep seeing I wonder how often that really happened, though, in real life. If they just fucking smoke people out in the middle of the day, I don't I don't know. I don't know, man. I'm not laughing because I think it's funny. It's just it's extreme. To a modern person, you can't fathom it because we've never seen anything like that. Yeah, I mean, I remember back in when the when this was the when this conflict was going on, like in the 80s, the troubles lasted over 30 years. Yeah, it was a like three decades, yeah. Three three generations of people. Yep. And um I remember Channel 4 always had like awesome documentaries and like National Geographic and shit. Oh yeah. And I remember seeing stuff about like Arma and all sorts of different things about the troubles, and I couldn't fathom it then.
SPEAKER_00:No, it's hard to it's hard to wrap your head around. Yeah, uh the camera keeps going back to Sean, you know, as he's watching this, and you're like, okay, what's he gonna do?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, the provos are kind of grooming him to be a gunman.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, it's and it's it's sad because you can tell that his heart isn't a hundred percent into it.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, you know, he's he's I don't even think it's fifty percent in it. I just think he's doing it because it's expected of him to do it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And he, you know, it's true. It's his land, he wants to fight for the cause. Sure. However, fucked up that cause is.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but he's not ready to cross the line. No, so then they uh they basically go on a chase, yeah. They start chasing a hook.
SPEAKER_02:And it's an extended chase scene through the whole neighborhood.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, yeah. They basically uh it's crazy. There's one scene where uh Paul pulls out his gun right next to this lady with her kid there and opens fire.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I'm like, damn, it's like and she's like like trying to trying to put her fucking hands over the kid's ears real quick. She's like, Oh, go ahead, but yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It's crazy. And then Hook basically ducks into this uh this house. I I guess it's like an abandoned house. Yeah. Um grabs a I think it's a metal rod or something that was hidden underneath the the boards. I couldn't I couldn't see exactly what it was.
SPEAKER_02:It could have been a fucking shower rod for all we know. Yeah, yeah. It was hard to see. It's like an improvised bludgeon. That's what you got. Yeah, yeah. It's like any port in a storm, yeah. These two guys, these two uh armed men are chasing you, you're gonna fucking look for grab a fucking rock, you know. For real.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So he's he's kind of hanging back, hiding in the shadows, and uh Paul comes in and he he kind of whacks him over uh over the back with it, I think. But he he he didn't grab the gun though. I I don't get that. I know. Maybe he was I think he was just still panicked, but yeah, he didn't grab the gun, he just kind of runs out of there. Paul raises his weapon and tries to shoot at him a couple times. Yeah, you know, and then he's uh basically he's confronted on the other side by Sean, who he pulls his gun on him, but he doesn't pull the trigger. No, he hesitates, and this becomes a theme throughout the whole movie.
SPEAKER_02:He's got a drop on him right there. He could have just blasted him. Yep. And he even lies to because Haggerty asked him later, it's like, why don't you shoot him? Yeah, and he's like, My gun jammed. It's like you didn't fucking jam. No, he jammed. Coward, yeah, your brain jammed.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you know, he's conflicted for sure. Um, but yeah, he uh basically eventually hook ducks into some it's like a public bathroom or something.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's like an old outhouse.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it looks kind of cool. It's like in the middle of the fucking street, you got this just tiny little bathroom stuck in one of these buildings.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it'd be easy, you know. There was a lot of places he could have hid.
SPEAKER_00:You know, he found that one. He kind of lucks out of uh throughout this whole movie, actually, and places he can duck into. Yeah, but yeah, so Sean and Paul, they uh they go back to collect weapons, yep, and uh Hook kind of hangs out for a little bit, and this this is kind of one of those other moments in the movie where it kind of slows down a little bit, gets a little meditative.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and then uh you get introduced to more of the characters, yep, like Boyle's the O I R A. Yep, and um he finds out that you know they shot one of the soldiers, and he's pissed. Yes, for some reason, I don't know why, but he's like, What the fuck you guys? You were told to stand down. Yeah. And uh we meet Quinn's one of the provos. I think Boyle didn't didn't want more Brits to come in. Yeah, he was afraid of the heat. Yeah, but yeah, yeah, because they're trying to let you know, they're trying to like maneuver.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And it's hard to maneuver in a civil war when you got all these extranuating fucking troops coming in and fucking up our plans, man. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So we see Sean go back home.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, stone is stoning the guns for his crew. Yeah. Boyle tells Sean that um he needs to stay the fuck out of it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Like, find a better way to guide him out from the extremism. Yeah, Sean's not having any of it. No, he just takes off on him. He's like, Fuck you.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so what? Then we get Lieutenant Armitage, goes back with a few men to retrieve the fallen soldier.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's it's uh terrible. He's just standing there, like, this is my fault. Yep.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, he knows, but yeah, so we get uh we see Hook. He's trying to figure out a way to get out of here, and so he he steals some clothes so he can blend in a little bit better, you know.
SPEAKER_02:But he's he's still got his boots on, so it's kind of like in his service trousers, so yeah, he's uh he's sticking out a little bit, but he finds some grandpa's fucking sweater, so yeah, yeah. He's doing all right, and so he's he's kind of walking down the street, he sees these fucking uh uh Molotov cocktails being thrown and fires and yeah, it's like uh some Catholic kids having a good time Friday night in the Shankill. It's like woo! Yeah, this is just how we entertain ourselves, man. And then this one lone little kid, he's like, You fucking bastard, yeah, get the fuck out of here.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, dude. This kid's a real pistol, man. I would not want to fuck with him.
SPEAKER_02:He looks like he's 10 years old.
SPEAKER_00:It's like But he he doesn't take shit from anybody. No, no, and he sees uh he sees Hook. Or no, Hook grabs him because he's trying to stop the kid from uh potentially get killing himself, yeah, you know, getting killed.
SPEAKER_02:He's not scared. No, a kid doesn't give a fuck. He's like, You fucking bastard.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And then he's like, You a Brit fucking Brit?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, this kid's uh he's a he's a loyalist, he's he's Ulster all the way.
SPEAKER_00:He sees uh he sees his boots, he's like fucking brilliant. Yeah, you're a fucking soldier, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And so he follows the kid. He takes him to his uncle's pub. Yeah. It's like a safe house.
SPEAKER_00:Yep, exactly.
SPEAKER_02:And um and then in a couple of minutes you see the end result of what this conflict does. Yeah. Did yeah, yep. It's fucking awful.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. But we learn we learn the kid's uncle is uh Jake Fullerton, who's uh bomb maker. Uh and they're they're kind of working out what they're gonna do with it and how how to carry out this next bombing, essentially. Yeah. And uh, you know, that's where the the soldier is kind of in he kind of accidentally sees a little bit of their plan. And so now he's compromised. And uh him and the kid go downstairs because get him out of here.
SPEAKER_02:Sergeant Lewis is helping him make the bomb.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. We start to see some of the players they're playing both sides for their own ends. Yeah, you know, it's like the they're stoking the conflict. Yeah, yep. The enemy, my friend is my the friend of my friend of my enemy is my friend.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Thank you. Yes, like come on, homie. If you're gonna say the quote, say it fucking right. Too fucking early. Yeah, too early, son.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so the kid goes downstairs.
SPEAKER_02:Not gonna lie to you, son. This is gonna hurt like a fucker. That was one of the best lines in this movie.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah, you hurt like a fucker. Dude, yeah, we'll get to that.
SPEAKER_02:But uh, yeah, they go downstairs. He had his fine ass daughter sitting on him. He should have been like, all right.
SPEAKER_00:Right, for real, dude. Fucking hey.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so uh we man. Oh yeah, before that though, they wee man, he uh he shows how big his balls really are. There's these two fucking like ulsters. They're like they have the road cordoned off, and oh you know, they're walking to you know, we man and uh and hook, they're walking to the pub, and these guys stop him and they're like, Yeah, talking about he's like, Who you got there? Yeah, yeah. So they give wee man a little bit of shit, yeah, and he's like, he gets pissed. He's like, What's your fucking name? Yeah, it's got a stick. He's like, he's like, Oh, he didn't mean nothing, we man. It's like I'm not talking to you, yeah, talking to him. It's like, oh man, this kid fucking And that's when he drops his uncle's name.
SPEAKER_00:He's like, Don't you know who my uncle is? Yeah, kind of.
SPEAKER_02:It's like, you know, and any other time, I don't give a fuck who your uncle is, for real. But these are uncertain times, so it's like, oh sorry, dude, for real.
SPEAKER_00:Certain people have more sway than others, yeah. Listen, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So they go to the pub and Hook sees what's going on. Yep. He sees Lewis, he sees fucking Lewis's face and everything. Yep. Jed's like, he's kind of pissed because he his his nephew sees the whole thing. The kid knows what's going on, he's stupid.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. But you know, his uncle's instincts are still to protect him.
SPEAKER_02:Well, yeah. So he uh his uncle comes out and he's like, What the fuck's going on? Who's this?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So he's a Brit. And um he makes uh he makes Hook give him his fucking dog tags.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, as proof.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and Jed goes back into the room and he's like, got one of yours out there. It's the one that's missing. Yeah. It's like, oh good, cool.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, thanks.
SPEAKER_02:We'll get him back to the barracks as soon as possible. Yeah, sure you will. Yeah, yeah. Now, I don't know if he was planning to kill him right then or I think he in his mind he's probably going through a spoiler list of yeah. We spoil all our movies, as you all know.
SPEAKER_00:Sometimes we spoil them as we go. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, so anyway, Fullerton goes, takes him downstairs. He's like, Would you fancy a pint? Yeah, and basically tries to dig a little bit more information out of what he knows or doesn't know.
SPEAKER_02:Then Lewis comes out and he's talking to him and um is like, Okay, it's good that you're alive. We'll uh I'll get you back as soon as I can. Yeah. Just hang out here until I'm done. Yeah. So I got I got some more work to do. Yeah, so Gary's sitting there, and for some, he must have had a ghost walk on his grave because he goes and he goes to take a little walk. Yeah. You know, and maybe get some fresh air or something. We man, he's he's sitting at the put at the uh at the bar.
SPEAKER_00:He's got some crisps, yeah, taking a sip of uh the one of the pints. Oh, you know, yeah. You see uh Hook standing outside, and you can see in the doorway the kid and he turns around, he goes, What you doing? Yeah, and then it's just a beat, and then whole thing blows.
SPEAKER_02:And um Hook is thrown maybe 15 feet, you know? Yeah, and it's funny because um when I was a kid, I uh I was a voracious reader and uh I would read any fucking anything that wasn't nailed down.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And um, I remember I was at the uh this is pertinent, there was a reader's digest, and they had a uh there was a uh I was at the hospital from my grandmother's surgery when I was a kid, and um there was a an IRA bomb maker, he was telling his story in this Reader's Digest. Oh yeah, and um he talked about like the split second after a bomb goes off. Yeah, it's like deadly silent.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:He called it a silent thunder. I was like, dude, that would be an awesome name for a fucking book or you know, a story. Yeah. And I was like, I was like, huh. That I don't know. That always for some reason it stayed with me.
SPEAKER_00:No, it's it's chill, it's chilling to to have it described that way. Yeah, almost like time is compressed or stuff. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02:Like like when you're in a car accident and like time kind of that weird sickening, like where time slows down. It's almost like your brain has to catch up. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. That's probably what the dude meant. But yeah, that's cool. Yeah, silent thunder.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, yeah, man. He's trying to get his bearings, he's he's clearly disoriented, trying to pick himself up, and he he makes his way back into the bar, finds the kid on the ground. The way it looked, it was you couldn't even tell if the kid had his all his limbs. Like out. His arms were blown off. Right. But it was like everything was obscured. But yeah, his fucking arms are gone, picks him up, takes him outside, and then uh, I think a woman rushes to his aid.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they throw him in the back of a car and take him to the hospital. I mean, the kid's probably dead. He looked good. Yeah, I don't think he's he had no business living through that. Yep. Hooks got shrapnel injuries, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Which he deals with the for the rest of the movie. Yeah, it's just brutal. But yeah, he uh he basically collapses against this building.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, he's wrecked.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I at this point I'm like, does he die and then we follow somebody else? Because this guy looks cooked.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Uh, but then we get uh we're introduced to Bridget and Eamon. Yeah, who come and uh, you know, their father and daughter, they uh pick him up and take him to his to their flat.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, in Divis flats.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, which is the place where they were told not to go into because it's a sort of thing.
SPEAKER_02:And it's it's never and it's never said if they're if they're loyalist or IRA.
SPEAKER_00:So you kind of get the uh the I the feeling that they're they're not really on either side. Yeah, they're just they're just they're just innocent bystanders.
SPEAKER_02:Stuck in the middle with you.
SPEAKER_00:For real, dude. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:At first she wants to leave him there. She's like, we don't know him. Fuck him. Yeah. And Amon he sees he's injured, and he's like, Well, we gotta do something. Can't just leave the guy here to die. Yeah. It's a tough spot to be in. Yeah. So they take him back to his their flat and Eamon's checking him over and he was in the he was in the army. Yeah. And he was a field medic. So he sees uh he sees that he's gonna have to do like field triage on him.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah.
SPEAKER_02:They start undressing him and Bridget s discovers he's a soldier. He's like, we need to get rid of this guy right now. We can't keep him here. He's like, I can't let the guy die.
SPEAKER_00:No. At this point it's too late. Yeah. They're already in too deep.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. So he gets his field kit out and he's gonna start sewing them up. He's like, I'm not gonna lie to you, son. This is gonna hurt like a fucker. He's got the big fish hook fucking with the sutures, and he's just going to town and hook just starts screaming. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I think they put a rag in his mouth. Yeah, it's like bite down on this. And the woman's like, shh, but she's like, it's gonna be okay. Yeah, it's like brutal.
SPEAKER_02:It's like you fucking get sewn up like that. See how you act. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_02:It's brutal.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, it's a brutal scene.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And he passes out from the pain, which is probably a good thing because it can't have noises like that.
SPEAKER_00:You know, thank God our mind has a little escape hatch when things get too tough.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So Quinn confronts Boyle about the uh the pub bomb explosion. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And uh, oh, so you can blow up a pub, but we can't shoot British soldiers. What the fuck?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And Boyle's like, it wasn't me.
SPEAKER_00:Yep, yep. Doesn't Boyle threaten Quinn about uh well happening.
SPEAKER_02:He tells him to stand down, yeah. Or something bad's gonna happen. That's right. Yeah, so it's it's a pretty fucking warning you.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I can't protect you, I think is what he said. Yeah, and we all know what that means. Yeah. Quinn tells Paul, uh, we're gonna kill Boyle, basically. So it's on. I mean, yeah, all the pieces are moving. Yeah, and uh yeah. Then we we go back to Bridget and Eamon's flat where uh Hook is resting, and um Yeah, and Eamon uh tells him about his history of being in the military and how they don't fucking care about you.
SPEAKER_02:You're a piece of meat. I like that. And then he says, You know what the army is? It's posh cunts telling thick cunts to kill poor cunts. Yeah, I was like, wow, that's a great way to just lay it out. Yeah, yeah. You know, get you gotta love the Irish man. They gotta they got the gift of gab. Yeah, for real. Wait, word meisters, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Then Eamon goes to make a phone call.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they're trying to, you know, Eamon and Bridget, they're trying to figure out what the hell they're gonna do. Yeah, because they know they're indeed. They've literally signed their own death warrants by having this young man in their home. And they're trying to make it any one of their neighbors that wasn't isn't a loyalist, yeah, could make a could drop a dime on them in a second. Oh yeah. Yeah, and they would be dragged into the street and shot. Yep. It's awful.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:That's what happened to the lady in uh Say Nothing.
SPEAKER_00:That's a tragedy of war, all the collateral damage that happens.
SPEAKER_02:Oh yeah. Then Boyle, he gets word from Eamon that the the soldier is there. So Boyle's going over to Eamon's place and Haggerty is following him.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So he makes he makes a uh he puts two and two together, and he goes back and tells Quinn, he's like, hey, I know where the Brits at.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And Boyle tells Eamon, it's like everybody's looking for this kid. With that. I mean, everybody. We need to get this fucker out of here.
SPEAKER_00:Yep. Yeah, so now everybody's basically on their way, they're all converging to the flat.
SPEAKER_02:And this is when the the story and the narrative really starts to speed up.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And all this machinations are going on, and you're just like, fuck, man.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, this guy's gotta get out of there. Yeah. So then we get uh we see Bridget putting on some music, yeah, you know, listening to some David Bowie. Yeah, she's like, You like David Bowie? He's like, uh, yeah, he's all right, but you know, he's kind of for girls, isn't he?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that kind of pisses her off. She's like, Well, fuck you too. Yeah, David Bowie. Trying to make a connection here, you know. I did think you were cute, but if you don't like David Bowie, yeah, you can't get with this. It's like, oh, striking your route.
SPEAKER_00:You blew it, Hook. But yeah, then uh we see Quinn tell Sean to go get the guns. Yep. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Everybody is diverging on this uh this the Divis Flats because they're they're gonna take care of Hook one way or the other. And Hook goes through Eamon's stuff and he finds his service dagger. Oh yeah, and he he bounces up, yeah. He's like, I gotta get out of here. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:He overhears uh Boyle and talking to Bridget and Eamon. He's like, uh oh.
SPEAKER_02:And then we jump cut to Armitage and he's asking about he's asking Sergeant Browning about uh about Hook, and he's like, Yeah, we know where he's at. He's like, Well, I'm responsible for this, I should go with you. He's like, Well, stay behind us then, yeah, but you can come as backup. So just remember who's in charge. Yeah, he has to fucking lay that down.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, fucking dick. We know you're a fucking snitch rap motherfucker. Yeah, so then uh boy asked Sergeant Lewis to kill Quinn. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:It's like it's all just going randomly backstab fucking gospel for real. And Sean jumps in the car and Quinn and all them, they're heading over to the Divis flats. Yeah, dude. Hook's gonna get taken out one way or the other, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And Quinn's pissed. Yeah, and so Bridget spills the beans. Yeah. Because, you know, she she has no other option at this point. Yeah, she's trying to save her husband's life. It's her father. Sorry. Father. Yeah, I'll edit that out. Uh, I mean, yeah, they don't swing that way. Come on. Anyway, you don't you never know?
SPEAKER_02:Uh times are tight, son. So is my daughter.
SPEAKER_00:We don't know how many are gonna live, so we gotta we have to propagate the Irish race on the horror.
SPEAKER_02:Good on you, lad. Alright, alright. No, you're leaving that shit.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my god. All right. So Hook Hook is Hook is going down. Uh he's checking every door to see which one's unlocked, and he ducks into the first one that's unlocked.
SPEAKER_02:This little girl is like grabbing her dolly out of like the toy box, and she's just standing there.
SPEAKER_00:They they like lock eyes. Yeah, he turns around and she's just staring at him. He's got a knife in his hand. He's like, he's like, Yeah, puts the knife just behind his back.
SPEAKER_02:She's like, okay, cool. Yeah, she kind of goes with it, I guess. Yeah. And Haggerty's searching him out. They're all they're going like floor by floor, looking for a hook.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And Hook goes back out, and Haggerty's right around the corner.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they're stalking each other like cat and mouse. Yep. Just shanks. He uh Haggerty comes right around the corner and he just fucking stabs his ass.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, dude. But he does this kind of thing where he's bleeding out where he he just kind of touches his arm. Yeah. Kind of like a moment of compassion.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's like, oh I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. We're all fucked. Yeah. But now he's got a gun. So he's upgraded. Yeah. Which it was kind of, I guess, leads nicely to the next scene because now Sean's got his gun, and Hook and him kind of have a little bit of a show. He still won't shoot him. No, man. He stands there basically point blank. Yeah, the kid doesn't have it in him. No. It's clear that this kid is his heart's not in it.
SPEAKER_02:No, not at all.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And then uh Hook gets ambushed by Quinn.
SPEAKER_02:He gets knocked out. Yep. The MRF and the Brits, they show up, but Quinn has already taken uh Hook to where they're gonna take him out. So Boyle, he uh he tells him, he's like, I know where they're taking him. So they go and they're it's like an old abandoned fucking pub or whatever. Yeah. And um, and in the basement, I guess that's where they shoot people. There's like bullet holes. It looks like a place where they bring people to die. It's probably real quiet for sure. Yeah, secluded area. It's like it's a bombed-out building, nobody's gonna fucking go in there. But the basement's intact. So it's like, oh, this is a good uh killing floor. Yeah, there's a massive gunfight. Yeah, that's when the British show up. Yeah, and uh, in the MRF, they're shooting at the fucking at Quinn and all his crew. Yep, yep. And um Quinn's like, you know, they he goes down to the basement. Sean's he's in Sean's charged with killing this guy. It's like his you know, he's getting his wings, yeah, and he can't do it. And Quinn's like, yeah, you want to be a gunman, this is what a gunman does. Yeah. Do it.
SPEAKER_00:This is war, he says.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's like do it or don't. But it's like you can't do it.
SPEAKER_00:Nope. Not even uh not even at the end, man.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Then Lewis fucking shoots him. Shoots he shoots Sean fucking right in front of Hook and cold. Yeah. So at the end, Lewis gets killed. Yeah, because Sean Sean's not dead yet. Yep. So Sean shoots Lewis and then Armitage busts in and shoots Sean dead.
SPEAKER_00:So fucking just shoots him right in the head. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And then uh Brownie fucking he he intercepts Quinn outside. Yeah, it's funny because uh Boyle's gone. Boyle fucking disappeared again, and uh and Brownie's talking to Quinn. He's like, uh, I'm a reasonable man. Now you and I can work together.
SPEAKER_01:Work together.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, he's like, I want Boyle dead. Yeah, it's like what the fuck is going on for real dude?
SPEAKER_00:It's like and what is what is he thinking? Like, what's Quinn thinking? Like, after he's being used to carry out his thing, what do you think is gonna happen to Quinn? Yeah, like he's gonna kill him. Yeah, so it's like it's pointless. Yeah, but yeah, so that the you know, he's he at the very end, you know, shows his true colors.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean, and and Armitage saw Lewis fucking choking Hook. You know, the gig is up with that. Yeah, and it's funny because um Hook is he's finally rescued. Yeah, and he's rescued. Yeah, he's he's uh he's hopped out of there, and Bridget and uh and Aemon are standing there, they're left to fucking their own devices. And like they're standing right out in the open with the Brits, like watching Hook get put into the back of the truck.
SPEAKER_00:So yeah, they're pretty much they got a target on their back.
SPEAKER_02:Of course they do. They had a target on their back the second they didn't fucking call the IRA.
SPEAKER_00:So then they they bring Hook.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, there's like an official investigation. The his COs are talking to Browning about the how the situation was confused, and you know, Hook was confused.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. What you saw wasn't really what you thought it was. Yeah, to the point.
SPEAKER_02:And then Armitage is like, I saw Lewis choking Hook and uh Browning's straight fucking like nah that's not what happened.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And Hook and Armitage, I think they make a they lock eyes for a minute. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02:Um because Armitage knows it's bullshit. Yeah. I saw what I saw. Yeah. Like, you can't fucking do me like this. But I don't know if if Hook is um if he goes AWOL or if he's you know like discharged from service.
SPEAKER_00:I think he does he he gives the biggest fuck you salute at the end, which I thought was great, just like and then turns around and is like fuck you and like leaves, yeah, and then you get that nice shot of him going down the hallway. He kind of takes off his beret.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, then it shows him on the boat going back to England, yep, and um he throws his dog tags in the water, so he probably goes A-WOL.
SPEAKER_00:I think he does. He his whole perception of what he thought he was going to war for is completely obliterated. Yeah, you know, literally. The idealism is dead, yeah. Then we see him show up at his uh younger brother's place and he's like the fuck in. Yeah, you could tell, like, I don't know if that was to show he's kind of I mean he's aggressive, but I think he's got a little bit of PTSD he's gonna be dealing with for the rest of his life.
SPEAKER_02:And the guy, you know, the doorman, he's not there and he he's hooks just banging on the door, and then the guy shows up and he's like, Let me the fuck in, you horrible cunt. You horrible cunt, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Because his younger brother was kind of his emotional anchor throughout this whole thing. I think that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's probably the only, you know, the one reason he was trying to stay alive so fucking so much.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, man. And so uh yeah, he gives him like the biggest hug he's probably ever given him in his life. Yeah, and uh and that's it.
SPEAKER_02:Pretty much just shows him on the bus, they're leaving, starting into a new life. Yeah, the ending shot is great because it's like the that diffused like twilight. Yeah, I always like like in real life, looking at fucking light like that always always made me wistful and happy.
SPEAKER_00:It's like the gloaming. Yeah, yeah. It's cool. Good movie, good movie, man. Highly recommend it. If you guys are in the mood for like a good thriller, kind of uh historical war thriller. Oh, yeah. 71. It's a good one.
SPEAKER_02:That and like uh Sins of the Father, that's a good one. Yeah, that's a great one.
SPEAKER_00:That's that's probably one of my favorites of that time period and of that subject matter, yeah, for sure. Snatch. Yeah, snatch is great, dude. Yeah, Snatch. There's always time for Snatch. Pikey Mickey. So uh a couple fun facts. Um, one thing I knew noticed right off the bat, this is just my geek film, geek thing coming out, but uh during the day they were all filmed in 60 millimeter, so you get this nice grainy, warm uh look, and then the night shots were all filmed on digital, so it's almost like a Michael Mann film. Every time it's at night, it's got that harsh, cold look to it. Okay, uh, especially with like with the gunshots and stuff like that. It's a pretty striking difference. Film was shot almost entirely in the UK, not in Belfast, because Belfast doesn't look like Belfast anymore. Uh so they shot in like Blackburn, Shelffield, Sheffield, sorry, and Liverpool.
SPEAKER_02:Shout out to the Brits. Yeah, shout out to the Brits. Shout out to all our foreign listeners. We all love you. Yeah. Irish. I think we got a couple Irish listeners. Good on you, sons. And lassies.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I'm Irish, but I can't do an accent, so I'll let you do it. Apparently, uh, some people liken this movie to Escape from New York. I could see that. Yeah, kind of had the same vibe, yeah, the same sort of format.
SPEAKER_02:I love Chase movies. Hell yeah. Have you ever heard of that movie, The Passage? Yeah. That fucking movie. We should do that one.
SPEAKER_00:Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Or like the Iger Sanction.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. I haven't seen that. That's an old movie. Okay. All right. That ends this week of the Dark Territory podcast. Next week, we're gonna do Phantasm. See you next week.