I tend to avoid most celluloid representations of Northern Irish Troubles - the longest running terrorist campaign in Europe, costing approximately 3000 lives and hundreds of millions of pounds in property damage and displacement - as oversimplified, glossy and biast; The Devil's Own, The Jackal, The Sons of Anarchy (particularly the last) portray Belfast either as some kind of South Central Los Angeles, or a gaudy Roger and Hammerstein set, with preconceived notions of The Troubles, and frankly unrealistically romantic portrayals of (usually Republican) paramilitaries.

'71 offers a gritty change of direction and pace. Told from the bewildered (and bewildering) viewpoint of one Gary Hook (an excellent portrayal by Jack O'Connell), a young British Army private marooned in Belfast - he's still in the UK his mates are assured! - after a supposedly straightforward raid goes drastically wrong; we're sucked nto a grimy, claustrophobic race for survival; Gary's race is our race. Hotly pursued by a Provo hit squad, Gary soon learns shocking lessons about trust...

Perhaps the thriller element does get somewhat overdone - not as much as Fifty Dead Men Walking, mark - but I was genuinely impressed at the attempt made to grasp the nettle of the turmoil in the early Seventies and break it down for the outsider; how often has the Official v Provisional split been discussed or portrayed in film? The Loyalists are mostly comic relief, but an attempt is made to portray them as real people...just like the ordinary Catholics who risk their lives to aid the stiken Gary.

Sean Harris deserves a mention as the devious Military Reaction Force officer (a real undercover outfit) running numerous Protestant and Catholic players; and contrary to some reviewers, barricades and vigilante patrols were fairly common during the early part of the decade - did he never hear of Free Derry?

This is an honest attempt to unravel the confusion of Ulster's tragedy for the perspective of a confused outsider, particularly a lone British soldier; it deserves praise for its insight and bravery.

It's 1971. Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) is a young British Army soldier. He is sent to Belfast. His unit supports the local Royal Ulster Constabulary in a search for guns. A crowd starts throwing rocks. One soldier is knocked out while a boy steals his gun. Hook gives chase followed by another soldier. They are left behind as the unit retreats. Hook's comrade is murdered by IRA radicals and he goes on the run. Meanwhile, the local IRA establishment is struggling with the young the restless radicals.

The first half hour is really harrowing. I wasn't sure if it could keep it up and it doesn't actually. It takes some unexpected turns. It's a bit convenient at times. I would have preferred a more straight-forward man-on-the-run movie. The movie doesn't need to take that detour and it tries to connect too many parts of the story. Jack O'Connell is solid as well as all the other actors. This is a solid thriller.

'71 is another low budget thriller in the career of Jack O'Connell, who started out as a kid in THIS IS ENGLAND and has gone from strength to strength since. The last thing I saw him in was TOWER BLOCK, in which he was essentially playing a rougher version of himself, and you get the same impression here. O'Connell plays a rookie soldier who finds himself out of his depth and behind enemy lines in a hostile Belfast during 1971.

The thing that makes '71 work is the storyline, which focuses on pared-down action and suspense thrills over any grander aspirations. The complex, back-stabbing world of Northern Irish political manoeuvrings and allegiances is a fitting back drop for one man's story of survival against seemingly overwhelming odds. This is a film that manages to be grimly realistic for the most part; there are two stand-out shock sequences and a very well directed chase scene early on, and efficient direction and a pleasingly brisk pacing keep everything moving quickly on.

O'Connell supplies some rough-and-ready charm as the lead character, and the supporting cast incorporates a typically frightening turn from Sean Harris as one of his superiors. However, it's director Yann Demange who makes this something special, turning what could have been an average film in other hands into something fresh-feeling and exciting.