SnoopyStyle In 1996 Dublin, hard charging reporter Veronica Guerin (Cate Blanchett) is attacked on the road. Two years earlier, she started writing about the rampaging spread of drugs in Ireland. Her main source of information is underworld character John Traynor (Ciarán Hinds). His boss John Gilligan (Gerard McSorley) isn't too happy that he keeps talking to the pretty journalist. She tries to balance her family life with her kids and the dangerous world of drugs in her work.The story is a little scattered and director Joel Schumacher is barely able to corral a coherent story. Luckily, this is more of a character study and Blanchett makes her a fascinating character. She has no off switch and supremely confident. Along with Hinds and McSorley, they save the movie from Schumacher's TV level work.

jb_campo I rented this movie from my library mostly because Cate Blanchett stars in it. This is the second time I've watched this movie, and I tried to watch it more critically this time.It was a good effort, but not a great movie. Cate Blanchett gave a strong performance, as did the two main bad guys - Gilligan and Traynor. My problem with this movie was Veronica Guerin herself. Was she really such an anti-drug person that she would risk her life, with a husband and young child at home? Why? there was never any explanation for why she wanted to do something that made a difference.Her Mom acted quite well, but I found her husband a bit unbelievable as well. He basically knew what she was doing, and then just basically let her do it, and continue doing it. First someone fires a bullet thru the window. Then someone comes and shoots her in the leg. Then Gilligan beats the crap out of her calling her a filthy word over and over. This is all just OK with her husband? why? her mother too, why?But perhaps the biggest flaw with this movie was the screenplay. The movie starts with Veronica in court, then driving along the road, then suddenly something bad happens, and you don't know who it was or why. But you know something pretty bad happens to her. Then you flashback to 2 years earlier. Sometimes flashback screenplays work, but this time, I don't think so. Because once they flashback, and you learn that she is a reporter, and then she starts tracking drug dealers, you know how it's going to end. So you really are not surprised at the ending. There's no way you can think that she might survive. There's no uncertainty in your mind about whether things will turn out good or bad for her. You've let the cat out of the movie bag.Of course, this is based on a true story. You could always google it in advance to learn. But otherwise, it would have been a better movie had the screenplay been made so that the movie didn't tip its hand in the first 5 minutes. I found that to be the fatal flaw with an otherwise excellent story with powerful acting and a harsh toughness that will stay with you well after the final credits.There were other minor annoyances around Veronica's wounds. It seems like a couple of days after getting shot in the leg, she's running around again with no crutches, limps, or anything. Again, flashbacks left you no clue how much time elapsed. Same with her face getting pulverized by Gilligan, then a few days later it seems, the scars are almost healed. Those annoyances also detracted from the movie.Considering everything though, this movie is worth your attention, hence my rating 7/10.

gamay9 Surprised that the user rating was only 6.3, I stumbled into this movie about a half hour after it began; yet, I feel qualified to write a review because I have taught film in a university setting and offer a free course in film appreciation at my local senior center.I didn't previously study the work of Cate Blanchett because I wasn't fond of the films she appeared in. I don't rate Gwyneth Paltrow highly because she is over-rated as an actress and rose to the top because of her father's success in film (nepotism), therefore, I skipped 'Shakespeare in Love.' What impresses me about actors is the way they can 'fake' an accent. Cate is Australian but did very well with an Irish borough. Al Pacino is good at developing an accent for his roles which is why he may have been chosen to portray Joe Paterno in an upcoming film.I read as many stories as I could about Veronica Guerin and the film tells the story with accuracy. One reader asks why anyone would want to kill Veronica. Answer: 190 journalists (according to the closing credits) have been killed since Guerin, the most famous to Americans being Daniel Pearl. Journalism is a dangerous profession, especially when on assignment in the middle east.Cate Blanchett is a great actress and Veronica Guerin was a journalistic hero. This film lost a lot of money, which is a shame.

TheLittleSongbird I find Joel Schumacher very hit-and-miss, but I have always liked Cate Blanchett and the film's subject really interested me, so I sat down to watch it. And I was really impressed. Veronica Guerin contains one of Schumacher's superior directing jobs, it is efficient without becoming too ham-fisted. Cate Blanchett is outstanding, I'd go as far to say after Elizabeth this is perhaps her second best performance. The support cast, particularly Colin Farrell also give excellent performances. There are no over-saturated colours in sight, instead it is quite gritty but done in a striking way. Veronica Guerin is quite harsh and hard-hitting, however it never fails to be moving and intelligent. Crisp dialogue and a compelling story also help. The ending is one of the better ones I've seen in a while, and Guerin herself is just a remarkable person. There may be the odd scene that drags, but overall Veronica Guerin is fantastic and one of the best of Schumacher and Blanchett's careers. 9/10 Bethany Cox