The story is set in Ireland of 1922. Former IRA man Gypo is in dire straits. The only way out of his extreme poverty and misery is to rat out his close friend, who is also involved with the IRA, is a fugitive and has a reward on his head. Further, Gypo's girlfriend is reduced to poverty-induced prostitution and wishes to take a boat to America to start her life afresh with him, but he doesn't have money for the fare. All these circumstances force Gypo to eventually inform on his friend but he is wracked with guilt in the police station while the Tans kill his friend in a gruesome encounter (The scenes depicting these events are particularly good). Gypo gets his reward & can thus buy tickets for two on a boat to US. However, this is where Gypo differs from a typical sewer rat. While a typical 'informer' would've maintained a low profile and fled as soon as possible, Gypo's guilt over his misdeed is so great that it eventually destroys him. He tries to drown his conscience in alcohol but that doesn't help either. Meanwhile the IRA is on his case because they realize that even a single mole is dangerous to the safety of the entire organization.
This is a character study with the protagonist transforming from a wretched and pitiable character to one who seems to be beyond any redemption. It is like watching a train wreck. You can see how Gypo keeps making the wrong choices- one after the other, but you are unable to stop his madness and folly. He is a perplexing character because he is physically very strong and seems invincible, but isn't good at logic and reasoning. Gypo fails to foresee how his treachery is going to affect him and all others around him. Irish independence and IRA clearly mean a lot to him and he is desperate to gain the approval of his worthy ex-colleagues, but he fails to factor all these things into consideration before informing on his friend. He is obviously quite foolish, drinks a lot and is boorish at times. So, here's a character that exasperates you since he's done an unpardonable act but he 'didn't know what he was doing'! One can't help feel pity, disgust and a bit of compassion for him.
It is a decent film but hasn't dated too well. The climax is a bit over-dramatic for my taste. Also, I wish the protagonist was a bit better as a person. It was mean of him to implicate someone else for his own misdeeds. Only his girlfriend and his friend's mother seem to find him naive and innocent; everyone else sees him with distrust and contempt, justified reactions if you ask me.
This is a character study with the protagonist transforming from a wretched and pitiable character to one who seems to be beyond any redemption. It is like watching a train wreck. You can see how Gypo keeps making the wrong choices- one after the other, but you are unable to stop his madness and folly. He is a perplexing character because he is physically very strong and seems invincible, but isn't good at logic and reasoning. Gypo fails to foresee how his treachery is going to affect him and all others around him. Irish independence and IRA clearly mean a lot to him and he is desperate to gain the approval of his worthy ex-colleagues, but he fails to factor all these things into consideration before informing on his friend. He is obviously quite foolish, drinks a lot and is boorish at times. So, here's a character that exasperates you since he's done an unpardonable act but he 'didn't know what he was doing'! One can't help feel pity, disgust and a bit of compassion for him.
It is a decent film but hasn't dated too well. The climax is a bit over-dramatic for my taste. Also, I wish the protagonist was a bit better as a person. It was mean of him to implicate someone else for his own misdeeds. Only his girlfriend and his friend's mother seem to find him naive and innocent; everyone else sees him with distrust and contempt, justified reactions if you ask me.