Veronica Guerin

I saw Veronica Guerin in the theater several years ago, and hadn’t seen it again until a few nights ago. It aired on the USA network so it was edited and such, but having a DVR makes the omissions and compressed time a little more tolerable.

Guerin is a publicly martyred Irish hero – perhaps one of the bravest female journalists in history.

In fact, it has been said that much like Americans recall the moment they heard about John F. Kennedy’s assassination, all those in Ireland know exactly where they were when they learned of Guerin’s murder on June 26, 1996. She was just shy of 38-years-old.

While writing for the Sunday Independent, Guerin fearlessly exposed those responsible for fueling a drug-riddled Ireland.

At the time, those injecting heroine on a daily basis reached epidemic proportions, with the youngest at age 14.

Guerin was threatened, beaten and shot at several times, and in one instance shot in the leg in her own home, but her drive to expose the drug-pushers and suppliers never wavered.

Cate Blanchett was excellent as Guerin. I’ve always loved Blanchett as an actress, and she is so believable in this role as a crusader, mother, wife, journalist and a hero.

This film made me very angry - while not at the film (if that makes sense) - but at the criminals who so callously spat on everyone around them. It's not the first time I've watched a film and found myself hysterically screaming at the television. My hysteria doesn't make the movie a bad one - in fact, I think a lot more of films that are able to incite such ire. In other words, I'm not much of a romantic comedy girl!

I loved this film. However, such as films like A Perfect Storm or Into the Wild, history has revealed the ending, and it's not a happy one.