Belfast

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Belfast details the comings and goings of an Irish family, including Jamie Dornan’s Pa, Jude Hill’s Buddy, and Judi Dench’s Granny, during the tumultuous period in which The Troubles first began. Filmmaker Branagh, working from his own screenplay, does a strong job of initially luring the viewer into the deliberately-paced narrative, as the movie, which boasts (and benefits from) Haris Zambarloukos’ consistently striking cinematography, kicks off with a fairly electrifying stretch that effectively establishes the central characters and their progressively precarious environs – with the promising atmosphere heightened by the uniformly first-class efforts of the various cast members. The movie, beyond that point, segues into a somewhat hit-and-miss midsection focused mostly on the agreeable (yet far-from-enthralling) coming-of-age exploits of Hill’s inquisitive figure, and it’s clear, ultimately and subsequently, that Belfast is generally only completely captivating in fits and starts – with the continuing inclusion of certain standout sequences going a long way towards periodically elevating the proceedings (eg a terrific scene between Dench’s Granny and Ciarán Hinds’ Pop). The end result is a decent enough drama that’s rarely as riveting as Branagh has surely intended, although the refreshingly brisk running time does, at the very least, ensure that picture never quite wears out its welcome.

*** out of ****