Weekend Movie Forecast: Inglourious Basterds or Passing Strange

Based on a true story, Fifty Dead Men Walking takes place in the 1980s, during one of the most deadly periods of modern Irish civil conflict, and centers on 22-year-old Martin McGartland, a Catholic Irishman who was recruited by the British police to infiltrate and spy on the IRA. Tasha Robinson at the Onion says, "Much of the film follows McGartland as he sweats his way deeper into the organization, playing both sides of the fence and trying not to get caught... But the film doesn’t fully hit its stride until its third act, and McGartland never entirely comes into focus as a character. The screenplay is based on his memoir, but it features precious little insight into his motivations; his horror over IRA torture sessions and bombings seems real enough, but doesn’t explain why he chooses to risk his life, or side with an enemy that offers him more contempt than comfort...What makes Fifty Dead Men work is the story’s sheer moral complexity, which dares viewers to sympathize with anyone onscreen for more than a few minutes at a time."