Veronica Guerin

"Why would anyone want to kill Veronica Guerin?"

2003 1h 38m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🥫

53%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 349🥫53%Rotten Tomatoes●55Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 22,358

DramaCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In this true story, Veronica Guerin is an investigative reporter for an Irish newspaper. As the drug trade begins to bleed into the mainstream, Guerin decides to take on and expose those responsible. Beginning at the bottom with addicts, Guerin then gets in touch with John Traynor, a paranoid informant. Not without some prodding, Traynor leads her to John Gilligan, the ruthless head of the operation, who does not take kindly to Guerin's nosing.

“Why would anyone want to kill Veronica Guerin?”

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Cast

Cate Blanchett
Veronica Guerin
Gerard McSorley
John Gilligan
Ciarán Hinds
John Traynor
Brenda Fricker
Bernie Guerin
Don Wycherley
Chris Mulligan
Barry Barnes
Graham Turley
Simon O'Driscoll
Cathal Turley
Emmet Bergin
Aengus Fanning

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joel Schumacher
Writers: Carol Doyle, Mary Agnes Donoghue, Carol Doyle
Languages: English
Countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 56% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joel Schumacher, shot by Brendan Galvin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Gamble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Cate Blanchett and Gerard McSorley and Ciarán Hinds carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Why would anyone want to kill Veronica Guerin?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joel Schumacher directs. Brendan Galvin behind the camera. Harry Gregson-Williams scores. David Gamble cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Ireland, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 56% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 23 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Joel Schumacher, shot by Brendan Galvin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor David Gamble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Cate Blanchett and Gerard McSorley and Ciarán Hinds carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Why would anyone want to kill Veronica Guerin?".
9IMDB entry: tt0312549 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "police", "journalism", "dublin, ireland", "based on true story".

The technical file

Cinematography: Brendan Galvin
Original score: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editing: David Gamble
Production design: Nathan Crowley
Costume design: Joan Bergin
Makeup / hair: Dee Corcoran
Sound: Richard Street
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Status: Released
Budget: $17,000,000
Box office: $9,439,660
Return: 56% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Veronica Guerin (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes: 53% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 55/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 22,358 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 wins & 14 nominations total

Also by

Joel Schumacher

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-03-03
★ 8/10
You'd do the same. If you saw those kids on the street, you would do the same. The assassination of Dublin crime reporter Veronica Guerin in 1996 shook Ireland to the core, her murder saw a public swell of determination to rid the country of its drug peddlers. Joel Schumacher's film is an in depth interpretation of the woman, her beliefs, her family life, her complexities and her stoicism to root out the drug barons putting liquid death into the arms of the many. Thankfully avoiding Hollywood clichés, it's often gritty and well thought out, Schumacher and his writers, Carol Doyle and Mary Agnes Donoghue, don't soft soap the Guerin image, her faults are laid bare alongside her searing strengths. The dangers of her work are very prominent throughout, leading to some suspenseful and fearsome scenes. Cate Blanchett as Guerin is inspired casting, an actress capable of covering all facets of the human condition, and in support Ciaran Hinds, Gerard McSorley and Brenda Fricker give powerful performances. 8/10

Production companies