DVD review: The Foreigner
The Foreigner is a definite must-see, one you will want to watch over and over.
Reviewed by: Samantha Keogh
Review made possible by: Empire Entertainment
A marvellous thriller, The Foreigner will leave you still wondering if you know who actually dunnit long after the final credits roll.
In this epic journey from New York to Belfast and back, a bomb in New York kills Ngoc Quan’s daughter, Fan, in a clothing store attack which is claimed by the Authentic IRA.
This sets in motion a series of events which see Quan seeking revenge while members of the old IRA, who claim to no longer have any ties to the group, rush to find out who set off the bomb.
At the head of this team is Liam Hennessy, ex-IRA and now Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, who must find answers before soldiers redeployed to the streets of Belfast, shattering the peace accord.
When Scotland Yard cannot give Quan the names of those responsible for his daughter’s death, he contacts (forces his way into the office of) Hennessy demanding that Hennessy give him the names.
Hennessy, who has been tasked by the British prime minister’s people to find out who set off the bomb, claims ignorance but Quan refuses to accept this and begins a secondary mission to force Hennessy to give up the names.
His assault on Hennessy begins with a harmless blast in the bathrooms of his office building and rapidly increase to bombing his barn and attacking his men.
The movie has two distinct plots which intersect at every turn, although they are not necessarily connected.
The questions you need to ask yourself throughout the movie are numerous but include questions of loyalty – both to the old IRA members and those working with Hennessy to (on the surface anyway) maintain the peace accord.
This is three-way battle – Hennessy, Quan and bombers.
Hennessy has well-trained soldiers on his side, seeking to stop Quan, but Quan too has military training and, interestingly, resorts to tactics used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War to come out on top.
There is also the question of whether those accused are actually the culprits and whether Quan will get his revenge.
A thoroughly riveting watch which requires that you pay attention to everything you hear, see and suspect as you will need all your senses to figure out the sting in the tail.
Even then you may wonder if you really “caught” the correct people.
The Foreigner is a definite must-see, one you will want to watch over and over.
