Set in 1993, Shadow Dancer stars Andrea Riseborough as Irish Republican Army (IRA) member Collette, who is arrested by MI5 agents after planting a bomb in a London underground station. Collette's fate is suddenly delivered into her own hands when an officer named Mac (Clive Owen) gives her an impossible ultimatum: accept the possibility of 25 years in prison or return to Belfast and become a British government informer. Mac further tempts Collette with evidence that one of her brothers was killed 20 years earlier by an IRA sniper—not by a British soldier, which had originally fueled her anti-Brit sentiments. Collette's assignment as an informant is complicated by the fact that she must spy on two of her brothers, who live with their mother. Under the vigorous direction of James Marsh, this is a taut and complex tale of loyalty, self-respect, and paranoid intrigue. While Owen and Gillian Anderson (playing Mac's icy boss) are familiar to American audiences, the breakout star here is the relatively little-known Riseborough, who invests a remarkable mix of stoicism and charisma into her role, creating a genuinely original character that keeps the audience guessing during the film's numerous twists and turns. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include cast and crew interviews with director James Marsh, costars Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson, and others (28 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (9 min.), an ASX TV production featurette (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine thriller.] (P. Hall)
Shadow Dancer
Magnolia, 102 min., R, DVD: $26.98, Blu-ray: $29.98, Aug. 20 Volume 28, Issue 5
Shadow Dancer
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