The Devil's Own (1997)
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An IRA operative seeking missiles finds himself entangled with an American policeman who considers him family.
The story
In 1972 Northern Ireland, Frankie McGuire witnesses his father's death due to republican sympathies. Twenty years later, Frankie and three fellow IRA members are ambushed by the British Army, leaving Frankie and his comrade Sean Phelan to escape. Seeking Stinger missiles to fight back, Frankie travels to New York City under the alias 'Rory Devaney.' He is arranged to stay with Irish-American NYPD Sergeant Tom O'Meara and his family on Staten Island. Believing 'Rory' is an immigrant construction worker, Tom and his family welcome him into their home, setting the stage for a complex web of deception and danger.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1972 Northern Ireland, Frankie McGuire witnesses his father's death. Twenty years later, after an IRA ambush, Frankie and Sean Phelan escape and seek Stinger missiles. Frankie travels to New York City as 'Rory Devaney' and stays with NYPD Sergeant Tom O'Meara and his family. While Frankie works with black market dealer Billy Burke to smuggle missiles, Tom decides to retire from the force after a guilt-ridden incident. After a confrontation with masked intruders, Frankie's true identity is revealed to Tom, who arrests him. However, Frankie overpowers Tom, kills his partner Eddie, and flees. After Burke holds Sean hostage and Frankie eventually kills Burke's men in an explosion, Frankie attempts to deliver the missiles to Ireland. Tom, realizing the authorities want Frankie dead, tracks him down. At the dock, the two men engage in a final shootout. Both are wounded, and as Frankie dies in Tom's arms, they recognize each other's shared devotion to their respective causes.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alan J. Pakula
- Writers
- David Aaron Cohen · screenplay; Vincent Patrick · screenplay; Kevin Jarre · screenplay; Robert Mark Kamen · screenplay (uncredited); Kevin Jarre · story
- Cast and characters
- Harrison Ford · Tom O'Meara; Brad Pitt · Frankie McGuire; Margaret Colin · Sheila; Rubén Blades · Billy Burke; Treat Williams · Sean Phelan; George Hearn · Martin MacDuff
- Genres
- action; thriller; crime; political
- Premise and plot tags
- Action; Thriller; Crime; Political; Drama
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office disappointment in North America though it performed better overseas.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.2/10 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 26; Amazon (Prime Video) · score: 4.5 · scale: 5 · review count: 1,172
- Production trivia
- This was the final film of director Pakula.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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