Who Bombed Birmingham [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Aha! Someone clever seems to be going around releasing some of the heavy-hitter TV docudramas and other shows from UK TV's past. Good. Well done, whoever you are.

If you like a spectacular true story of politics, justice, forensics, reportage, murder, corruption and terrorism from before the US invented it, this is for you. It has everything, and it really happened.

In 1974 one busy evening, the IRA detonated bombs in two crowded pubs in the centre of Birmingham (the real Birmingham - do I have to say 'Birmingham, England' now?) Twenty dead, two hundred injured. It was one of many similar incidents in their mainland bombing campaign. Many people and many billions of pounds were lost, but that's why terrorism is so horribly effective, and must be dealt with by diplomacy and negotiation. But I digress.

Under huge pressure, police arrested a group of six men trying to travel to Ireland, ostensibly to attend a funeral. Forensic tests revealed explosive residue on their hands. Unkind and traumatic interrogation followed, and confessions were extracted. The men were gaoled for life.

But Labour MP Chris Mullin didn't like it. The further he probed, the messier the case looked. The men were long-term Birmingham residents, not visiting IRA bombers. With the help of Granada TV investigative journalists he found that the Greiss test for explosives could be triggered by playing cards. He went to Ireland and spoke directly to IRA soldiers, learning that the bombing had been a screwup and the arrested men uninvolved. The team helped the six to obtain a retrial. They lost and went back to their prisons.

Undeterred, Mullin carried on his investigation. Could he find the real bombers and free the Birmingham Six? Would he uncover corruption and perjury at the heart of the West Midlands Police? Gee - perhaps you should watch the film.

Oh, and keep your ears open for the amazing rendition of 'The Deer's Cry' over the final credits. So sad that such beautiful music is placed in the service of such lunacy.

CD

Very intelligent, thoughtful re-telling of the true story of six men
who where put away for a bombing in Ireland they had nothing
to do with, and how journalists finally got the case re-examined.

This reminded me in tone of a low budget 'All the President's Men', the
focus being not on the men imprisoned, nor the real culprits, but on
the slow, difficult uphill climb journalists faced in putting together
the facts, with the police, politicians and even the courts standing in
their way.

While a very good film, it somehow lacked the power of the classic
"President's Men". Sometimes these recreations felt a little more
theatrical, the acting a bit more self-conscious, the bad guys a bit
moustache twirling. And John Hurt's character as the main investigative
force felt a bit one note in his dogged approach. Not the fault of this
very fine actor, who brings as much life to the character as possible,
but seemingly the script, which has a few too many scenes of Hurt in a
room with someone, pressing them for details in a similar way. I would
guess real life journalists have to vary their tactics more depending
on the situation.

But carping aside, this is another in the body of solid, challenging films that
investigate what can happen when police and politics decide it's more
important to convict someone, then to convict the right one.

Excellent value for money. Been Looking for this for ages.
Would buy from this seller again