The Front Line (2006)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

David Gleeson

Writer:

David Gleeson (writer)

Release Date:

12 February 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Death comes to all who embrace it. But it would not come to him.

Plot:

An African immigrant bank security guard turns the tables on Dublin's nastiest criminals when they force him to be the "inside man" on a bank robbery |

Plot Keywords:

Bigotry | Kidnapped Boy | Heist And The Accomplice | Heist Gone Wrong | n Word

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Eriq Ebouaney	...	Joe Yumba
James Frain	...	Eddie Gilroy
Gerard McSorley	...	Detective Insp. Harbison
Hakeem Kae-Kazim	...	Erasmus
Fatou N'Diaye	...	Kala
Brian Eli Ssebunya	...	Daniel
Orla O'Rourke	...	Detective Susan Clohessey
Gavin O'Connor	...	Detective Duffy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maclean Burke	...	Plank
Dagmar Döring	...	Sales Assistant
Glenn Gannon	...	Frankie
Ben Alexander Hussock
Laura Jane Laughlin	...	Valerie
Garrett Lombard	...	Anton
Ian McElhinney	...	Mikey
Jordan Lee McGrath	...	Detective / Policeman
Christian Senger	...	Detective #1

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

Ireland | Germany | UK | Sweden

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Finland:K-13 | Australia:MA (2007) | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Wide Eye Films

Pure Cinema!

Who would have thought it possible? A shoot-em-up with serious soul. Writer/director David Gleeson's decision to offer Dublin-based heist-movie THE FRONT LINE as his attempt to build on the promise shown in his debut, COWBOYS & ANGELS, might initially have smacked of the formulaic. But the good news is that the end product bristles with freshness and cinematic sophistication.

There's nothing new about a heist movie with a hard edge, but THE FRONT LINE comes with a hard edge and considerable heart.

Convincing performances and visually strong production values ensure the thriller aspect of the first half will bring you to the edge of the seat. Unlike so many comparable efforts, however, THE FRONT LINE gives you something to think about when you get there.

Just as it seems inevitable that entertainment levels will flag, disturbing revelations about Joe's true identity elevate proceedings to an absorbing consideration of that most fertile of territories for great art – the sometimes thin line between the divine and the depraved.

Ebouaney and McSorley are strikingly good in the central roles, and while some of the observances about Dublin-based gangsters seem a tad far-fetched, this is but a minor quibble.

Gleeson has delivered a terrific film that reminds us what big screens were made for.