Shake Hands with the Devil (1959)

Just perfect...

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The most interesting theme of this very outstanding and typical dark Irish drama is the multitude of double personalities. James Cagney is number one, of course, a respectable surgeon and professor at the university on one hand and leading an underground war with many murders on the orther. Don Murray enters a pacifist, having learned the hard way in the first world war the dreadful self-destructive futility of being a soldier, refusing to kill any more, but he is transformed to yet another fanatic and killer - and very logically so. When the crisis comes he is faced by the fact that he has only one choice - and accepts it and walks the whole line. And then there is Glynis Johns, wonderful as always, as a bar maid luring any man to get into her, being wholly on the freedom fighter side, but then, when the crisis comes, melting and surrendering to her very human and female weakness. Dana Wynter, on the other hand, stays cool, sees through it all and remains rigorous, - and that's why she is of no psychological interest.All the other actors are superb as well, Cyril Cusack as the poet-soldier, Richard Harris in a very early performance spoiling it all by rowdy mistakes, Michael Redgrave as head of the Irish rebel army but callously political, all enjoying a terrific and memorable dialogue, that is sustained in excellence throughout. They could have brought Michael Collins in it as well, but you can't have everything. Wlliam Alwyn's impressing music does the rest, with a truly inspired cinematography at that - many sceneries recall similar unforgettable moments in "Odd Man Out", another timeless variation on the same complex problem of the necessity of fidelity to the cause at any cost - but at what price? In the end its inhuman absurdity always has outgrown all reasonable acceptability.

Shake Hands with the Devil is directed by Michael Anderson and adapted to screenplay by Marian Spitzer from the novel written by Rearden Conner. It stars James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns, Michael Redgrave and Sybil Thorndike. Music is by William Alywyn and cinematography by Erwin Hillier.It's 1920s Dublin, Ireland, and the Irish Republican Army are at war with the British Black & Tans. Into the conflict comes Irish American Kerry O'Shea (Murray), who in spite of being apolitical is drawn into darker waters as the violence rages. Complications arise when a hostage situation unfurls, all while the strings are being pulled by the IRA's fearsome commandant, Sean Lenihan (Cagney), who wants Kerry under his wing.It has always been a tricky subject to film, the so called Irish Troubles, for too many film makers have either been ignorant of the facts in the name of good cinema, or so fuelled by other motives it's difficult to get on side with such one sided venom. Michael Anderson's film, whilst itself harbouring dubious political material, deserves plaudits for trying to come at the topic from both sides, embracing the complexities of the issues and never shying away from the violence that tore through parts of Ireland. Even if it ends up being a little confused as to its aims.Filmed on location predominantly in Dublin, there's almighty strength in the cinematography of Hillier (The Mark of Cain/Chase a Crooked Shadow). The night time shots of damp cobbled streets and gaslights are ethereal, while in daytime the lush landscapes are imposing yet still giving off a depressing hue. On the acting front it's Cagney who dominates, in one of his craziest and most crafty roles, he's a Vesuvius who darts between being the honourable cause man, to that of a psychotic who doesn't believe peace is a viable option. Strong support comes from Wynter and Johns.Political hot-pot with wrought emotion, and action scenes that impact as Cagney does his stuff, Shake Hands with the Devil leaves a mark. 7/10

Up till the time I saw this film I was not much of a Cagney fan. But after seeing this film; and "White Heat," I now understand why Cagney was such a big star.His portrayal of Sean Linahan as a member of the Irish Republican Army brilliantly portrays the thin line between being a dedicated freedom fighter/idealist and a fanatic. Sean Linahan has let hatred take control of his life and he now sees everything through the narrow prism of hate. As a fanatic he operates on an "ends justifies the means basis." Other characters in "Shake Hands with the Devil" are portrayed as men of character, who while fighting for freedom still hold on to their humanity and their compassion.This is very good movie that is very relevant in today's world and can be used as a starting point for a discussion on modern day Islamic Terrorism or any ism in which the ends justifying the means becomes a standard, not an exception.As a period film that seriously addresses mankind's nature, this film will be as current 20 years from now as when it was released.

This is without question a superbly well-made film on "The Troubles", back at a time when the IRA was in full bloom. As has been noted here, everything works well - the excellent cinematography (with beautiful vistas of the Irish countryside), a superb cast, great direction, and a richly textured script. All the characters are well drawn and fleshed out. Cagney's work here as the fanatic physician/seditionist is among his best screen portrayals. One suspects at first that the film is going to be an outright paean to the IRA, but as the film progresses, the murderous and fanatic side of their work is made clear, and we are left with a complex and ambiguous picture. I cannot recommend this film highly enough; it is simply not to be missed.