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Review

The teaming of Ford and Pitt works surprisingly well to create an absorbing if somber drama which balances social and moral issues, good action sequences, and an affecting tale of a surrogate father and son. Showing few signs of its high-profile on-set difficulties, The Devil's Own casts Pitt as an IRA commander whose latest battle with the British forces him into hiding in America. He is placed with unsuspecting New York cop Ford, and while playing the part of the gracious visitor he is actually preparing a return to Ireland with a boatload of missiles. The strong performances by Ford and Pitt firmly establish their bond of friendship and the sting of its eventual betrayal. While producing sympathy for Pitt's character, the film never becomes a polemic. Its screenplay sometimes looks patchy (it was often written daily), but the overall finished product is sleek and engrossing.