A fictionalised account of Irish journalist Victoria Guerlen's exposé of terrorist activity, John Mackenzie's drama follows investigative journalist Sinead Hamilton (Allen) going head to head against scary crims, becoming a local folk hero into the bargain.
As you might expect, Allen inhabits Sinead to the nth degree (the accent is impeccable), the violence pulls no punches and the unravelling storyline is engaging to an extent. Yet where the film falls down is in its lack of authenticity, relying too heavily on movie versions of the underworld, rather than some much needed veracity. Moreover, the scenes of Hamilton's domestic life feel grafted on solely for the sake of dramatic counterpoint.
Not totally useless, but you might expect more deftly observed grittiness from the director of The Long Good Friday.