71 - Behind Enemy Lines - Blu-ray

Content: Young English soldier Gary (Jack O`Connell) doesn`t know what to expect when he is ordered with his unit to Northern Ireland to assist the local police. Gary is aware of the conflict between the IRA and the British army, but has no idea what kind of hateful climate he will encounter among the ordinary people. But this becomes clear to him immediately on his first mission, which should be pure routine, but which ends with one of Gary's comrades being shot and Gary is left behind by his unit in the confusion of a street fight. Now Gary must flee through the narrow streets of Belfast from an angry mob that knows only one goal: his death! Just when he thinks he might make it back to his unit, he is badly injured in a bomb attack. His last hope is now a Catholic family who gives him shelter. But he is not safe in the gloomy housing estate, as the IRA has long been on his tail...

With `71 - Behind Enemy Lines, director Yann Demage has staged an extremely tense thriller that uses the bloody Northern Ireland conflict to build an almost claustrophobic atmosphere on the streets of Belfast. The film is not concerned with illuminating the background of the conflict or clearly taking sides. Rather, Demage wants to depict the situation in Northern Ireland at the beginning of the 1970s and show how quickly the atmosphere, charged with hatred and prejudice, could escalate into violence and death. Although Gary, as a British soldier, is very clearly on one of the opposing sides, his still youthful inexperience makes him a good identification figure for the viewer.

When he has to flee through the streets of Belfast, wounded and abandoned by his unit, and is repeatedly hostile or even attacked along the way, you root for him precisely because you are genuinely interested in Gary's fate. Until the finale, the director hardly gives his audience a breather, always trying to offer enough quieter moments where the characters can develop well. In this way, he avoids the usual black-and-white painting of good and evil, whose boundaries are always blurred anyway. In the end, there can be no winner, as there are generally only losers in bloody confrontations like the Northern Ireland conflict.

The ending is then also very depressing and offers first a strong punch in the pit of the audience's stomach before some relief. There is a tremendous intensity to the finale that will have you thinking about this film for a long time to come, and also interested in learning more about the real background to this fictional story. All of this, coupled with the fine cast and very good camerawork, makes `71 - Behind Enemy Lines a moving drama, a nerve-wracking thriller, and a stirring look at a conflict that may have been laid to rest, but is still not completely extinguished today. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: One thing in advance: who is powerful of the English language, should definitely choose the English soundtrack, because the film here is much more authentic than in the German dubbing. However, this is also very good and atmospheric mixed and can be heard quite well. The picture pleases with its coherent 70s look, the dominant brown tones and the high detail sharpness. There are no really noticeable weaknesses in the audio-visual realization. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the Blu-ray has, in addition to the trailer, some quite interesting interviews with the actors and the director (about 35 min.), as well as uncommented B-Roll footage from the shooting (without subtitles) to offer. Not really mind-blowing, but for interested viewers the interviews are well worth watching!

Conclusion: `71 - Behind Enemy Lines is a gripping thriller set in the bloody turmoil of the Northern Ireland conflict. Through the fate of a British soldier who must flee the IRA through Belfast, director Yann Demage makes the constant threat, senseless violence and paranoia that this conflict has brought to Northern Ireland very tangible. This is an extremely tense and well-acted film that presents itself in good picture and sound quality on the Blu-ray. The bonus material is rather meager, but the behind-the-scenes look and interviews at least hold some interesting information. Absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp