As the world continues to eagerly wait for Thomas Shelby to make his epic return in the “Peaky Blinders” movie, let’s take a fun stroll down memory lane and talk about one of Cillian Murphy’s best films. No, not “Oppenheimer” or “Dunkirk,” but another dazzling historical feature — 2006’s “The Wind That Shakes the Barley.”
Advertisement
Shortly after tangling with Christian Bale’s Dark Knight in 2005’s “Batman Begins,” Murphy gave one of his greatest performances as Damien O’Donovan, an aspiring Irish doctor in County Cork whose plans to learn medicine in London are forever dashed after witnessing the brutality of British forces.
Now, calling “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” an “underrated” movie might be a little bit of a stretch since the film received immediate critical acclaim upon its release; it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, after all. However, 2006 was a long, long time ago, almost 20 years back. (That hurts to read, doesn’t it?) Ever since, from playing everybody’s favorite British gangster to winning an Oscar for portraying Robert J. Oppenheimer, Murphy’s star has catapulted leaps and bounds. This means some of his earlier work gets overshadowed, so let’s try to rectify that by diving into what makes “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” such a harrowing and incredible film, and maybe even Murphy’s best movie.
Advertisement
Everyone should watch The Wind That Shakes the Barley
“The Wind That Shakes the Barley” takes place during the early 1920s and revolves around the Irish War of Independence (and the subsequent civil war). Alongside Murphy, the film features heavy-hitters like future “Game of Thrones” stars Liam Cunningham and Roger Allam.
Advertisement
Director Ken Loach and writer Paul Laverty perfectly capture a period of strife. Throughout the movie, conflict breeds nothing but more conflict. A powerful sense of dread seems to loom over every scene. It feels like violence can erupt at any moment; this is flawlessly illustrated right at the film’s start, when one of Damien’s friends is brutally murdered by a local British patrol after a fun game of hurling.
“The Wind That Shakes the Barley” brilliantly tackles the theme of family and how war can split one apart. We won’t spoil things here (because this is a beautiful movie that everyone should see). But the film’s primary plot goes beyond Irish resistance to British monarchy. It digs deep into the tragedy of what happens when uncompromising battle lines are drawn and family members stand at opposite sides.
Advertisement
This is a must-see film for any Cillian Murphy fan as it fully captures his acting greatness, from his angry roars to a brilliantly conveyed subtle emotional uncertainty, and perfectly foreshadows all of the cinematic greatness that awaited him.
“The Wind That Shakes the Barley” is currently available to stream on Plex for free (with ads).
