Michael Collins (1996)
85%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: NA
As impressively ambitious as it is satisfyingly impactful, Michael Collins honors its subject’s remarkable achievements with a magnetic performance from Liam Neeson in the title role
Michael Collins is a movie that tells the story of the Irish revolutionary hero, but unless you’re already a fan of the subject, you might not be too invested in the film. However, if you’re a fan of Liam Neeson, you’ll definitely enjoy his performance as the titular character. He’s got the perfect mix of steely determination and romantic charm that makes him a great action hero. The movie itself is a bit problematic, but it’s still an ambitious and satisfying thriller that’s worth a watch. Just make sure to pair it with The Wind That Shakes The Barley for the full Irish history experience!
Production Company(ies)
Charles Chaplin Productions,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
1996
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 5, 1996 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 22, 1997
Genre(s)
History/Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $11,092,559
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $11,092,559
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Aidan Quinn – Harry Boland
Stephen Rea – Ned Broy
Alan Rickman – Eamon de Valera
Julia Roberts – Kitty Kiernan
Ian Hart – Joe O’Reilly
Director(s)
Neil Jordan
Writer(s)
Neil Jordan
Producer(s)
Stephen Woolley
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (11)
Clearly, this is a subject Jordan cares about passionately, but he hasn’t found a form to make us share his passion. Unless you come to Michael Collins with strong feelings about its hero, it’s unlikely you will be deeply engaged.
February 26, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
[Neeson] is superb as the principled, steely yet romantic action hero of Neil Jordan’s film, which has been re-released for the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in 1916.
March 3, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
There are pain and honor in [Neeson’s] performance, and they constantly rise up to redeem a film that is less probing, less thoughtful than its director’s claims and aspirations for it.
March 28, 2010
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Intelligent, enormously accomplished and seriously problematic, Neil Jordan’s ambitious account of the activities of arguably the central figure in Ireland’s painful, bloody fight for independence from the British Empire has a great deal to offer…
January 23, 2009
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
This is Jordan’s most ambitious and satisfying movie — a thriller with a real sense of scale, pace, menace and moral import.
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Played with great magnetism and triumphant bluster by Liam Neeson, the film’s Michael Collins easily lives up to his nickname.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Leaders who help bring about huge change are often gifted with a charisma that will spur a nation into action. Liam Neeson, as Irish revolutionary Michael Collins, has just that.
December 8, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Tom Cassidy
Common Sense Media
The script and Neeson’s passionate performance demonstrate a case where the good intention of heroes seeking freedom gets thwarted by political maneuverings.
August 11, 2021
Robin Holabird
Robin Holabird
Michael Collins really is Irish history told on a bold, sweeping, comprehensible scale; in a sense, it’s almost Irish history Hollywoodised.
February 1, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
Neil Jordan uses very broad and movie-ish strokes to paint his portrait of the busy, eponymous hero.
July 18, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
Be sure to watch “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” if you watch “Michael Collins”
June 1, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
A bold and rousing historical epic.
January 23, 2006 | Rating: 8/10
Chuck O’Leary
Fantastica Daily…
Plot
Michael Collins leads the Irish Republican Army in a violent battle for Ireland’s independence from Britain, but when he negotiates a treaty with the British, he is deemed a traitor to the IRA and must decide where his loyalties lie.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The review does not include any goofy, funny, or odd comments about the film or anyone in the cast.
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