Liam Neeson is now one of the most recognizable action stars of all time, as ever since the success of Taken, he has almost exclusively worked within the genre in which he gets to play tough, brutal anti-heroes. The most ironic aspect of Neeson’s recent trajectory is that it is a shift that he made late within his career; early on, it appeared that he had the makings of a great dramatic actor due to his consistent work on historical dramas and biopics. Although many of these subsequent projects suffered in comparison to Schindler’s List, which earned him his first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, Neeson was able to bring to life a legendary revolutionary hero in the underrated biographical war drama Michael Collins.
What Is ‘Michael Collins’ About?

Michael Collins explores the incredible life story of the titular Irish revolutionary leader, who led the struggle for independence from Great Britain throughout the 20th century. Despite being imprisoned by the English after the Irish republicans’ headquarters was raided, Collins eventually connected with other important members of the rebel cause, including Éamon de Valera (Alan Rickman) and Harry Boland (Aidan Quinn). These men grow increasingly determined to achieve their political goals but begin a more subtle approach to their outreach endeavors; instead of waging violent conflicts, Collins and his allies begin connecting with international allies that may be sympathetic to the Irish cause and begin relentlessly leading activist events in order to engage citizens. Collins is hailed as one of the heroes of the movement, but the growing celebrity status that he has attained makes it more difficult for him to have a normal relationship with his love interest Kitty Kieran (Julia Roberts). Being such a public face of change means that Collins is endlessly targeted by his political opponents, who are more than willing to see him become a martyr.

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Michael Collins features one of Neeson’s greatest performances because it goes to extensive lengths to show why Collins was such an influential figure who helped to advocate for his cause. Although Neeson’s intimidating physicality made him perfect to play a historical icon who often felt larger-than-life, Collins’ greatest ability was his command of a crowd; he was often able to turn the rage of a mob into a singular fighting voice and made convincing arguments as to why being controlled by an exterior government was not acceptable. Neeson has an inherent sense of charisma that is perfect for Collins when he appears in public; however, there is also a deep sense of selflessness within Collins’ approach, which underlines the importance of sincerity within any significant movement that changed history.
‘Michael Collins’ Is a Dynamic Depiction of History

Michael Collins is able to celebrate Collins without lionizing the IRA, as it takes a more delicate approach to a controversial moment in history than one may have expected based on the subject material. The film does not paint every member of the IRA as the same, as it is made clear that Collins’ techniques were still met with skepticism by some older members of the movement. Rickman does a great job at showing why de Valera was a critical ally to Collins, even though they had completely different areas of interest; de Valera succeeded in making diplomatic missions to gain allies, whereas Collins succeeded when making direct and personal outreach efforts. It’s a fascinating examination of how political activism works in practice, as it shows that a battle like the fight for Irish independence is not a war that can be won overnight.
Michael Collins avoids the clichés that are common within many biopics, as it begins in the middle of Collins’ life and does not incorporate unnecessary details that are irrelevant to his context as a political leader. Although Roberts’ Irish accent is a little bit shaky at times, the romantic subplot is actually fairly well-developed and benefits from the inherent charisma of both stars. Michael Collins may have seemed on paper to be a film that would be nothing more than a history lesson, but the film’s genius is that it retains Collins’ goal of being able to change hearts and minds.
Michael Collins is streaming for free on YouTube in the U.S.

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Michael Collins

Release Date

October 25, 1996

Director

Neil Jordan

Cast

Aidan Quinn
, Liam Neeson
, Stephen Rea
, Alan Rickman
, Julia Roberts
, Ian Hart
, Brendan Gleeson
, Stuart Graham
, Sean McGinley
, Gerard McSorley
, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
, Charles Dance
, Richard Ingram
, John Kenny
, Ronan McCairbre
, Jer O’Leary
, Mike Dwyer
, Martin Murphy
, Gary Whelan
, Frank O’Sullivan
, Frank Laverty
, Owen O’Neill
, Liam De Staic
, Owen Roe
, Paul Bennett

Runtime

132 minutes

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