Film - Veronica Guerin

By: Michael Russell
Submitted: 2007-01-17 10:59:27
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Veronica Guerin, played by Cate Blanchett, goes to an Irish slum to see the drug addicts and how they live. Upset by what she saw, Veronica becomes interested in how the drug lords live the high life at the cost of the drug addicts becoming sick and dying.

Veronica meets John Traynor, aka "The Coach" played by Ciarin Hinds. She asks him questions about the drug trade and "The Coach" gives her answers, provided that the information she reports in the newspaper doesn't include him or his name.

The other side of Veronica is that she is a wife to her husband and a mother to her son. She lives a quiet life at home, however, her husband has worries and fears for her. Her mother, played by Brenda Fricker and her brother feels the same way; but they know that being a news journalist is a job Veronica enjoys doing.

A conspiracy ensues involving Eugene "Dutchie" Holland played by Joe Hanley. Veronica visits "Dutchie" earlier at his home asking him a lot of questions about the drug trade. Veronica meets "Dutchie" again at the airport. Dutchie tells Veronica as he was about to board a plane that since she visit his home, he should make a "visit" to her home.

That night, someone shoots a bullet through the window of her home. Not threatened in any way, Veronica discovers that the head of the drug ring is wealthy socialite named John Gilligan, played by Gerald McSorley. As she tries to get closer to him, an unfortunate incident occurs. Before she leaves her home to attend a Christmas party, a masked figure steps into her home and tries to kill her, but he only shoots her in the leg. This doesn't stop Veronica. She, now on crutches and limping around, still press the investigation of John Gilligan. She finally meets him at his home. However, John gives Veronica a horrible welcome by beating her up and throwing her into her car. She drives away from the estate bruised and shaken. Later, John calls Veronica and threaten to harm her son if she doesn't back off.

"Coach", on John Gilligan's behalf, meets Veronica at a local pub and apologizes for what happened to her. He also makes an offer of a lot of money to her if she didn't press charges against Gilligan. Veronica refused the offer. Veronica meets "Coach" one more time and she tells him that the next article she writes will "clear things up" about everyone involved in the drug trade. She also reveals that she has a policeman taking photos of themselves talking to each other, incriminating him. Feeling threatened, "Coach" orders "a hit" on Veronica.

On the morning of June 26, 1996, Veronica is at a Dublin courthouse. She's in court for having too many parking and speeding tickets. The judge is merciful and lets her go by having her pay a small fine. She leaves the courthouse and she's talking on her cell phone while she's driving, unknowing of the fate that awaits her. She makes a stop on the Naas road and while she's talking, two shady figures breaks her car door window and one shoots Veronica dead. They drive off and people come out of their cars and look at Veronica's lifeless body in her car. Her death was the catalyst to many positive changes in Dublin and help prompted arrests of many criminals, including her murderer.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Films

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