Veronica Guerin (2003) is based on a true story of a true heroine reporter investigating the rampant drug trade in 1990's Dublin.
But this is another movie (2 in a row??) that I have more respect for after listening to the Director's commentary.
So here's what you should know that get's lost in the translation (THICK Irish accents caused more than a little confusion for me), or - in my opinion - not enough time and effort devoted to: 1) Veronica wasn't schooled/trained as a writer or journalist. She was an accountant by trade who had an overwhelming desire to out the wrong. She started her journalistic career by tracking a pervert Catholic priest to Nicaragua then New York, on her own dime, and sat on his doorstep until he relented to an interview (his only one!) But, despite her tenacity, she wasn't a good writer and her "peers" in the journalism community regarded her, uuummm, shall we say, badly. 2) Irish laws erred on the side of the individual. After being an English-controlled police state for so long their constitution was too liberal and handcuffed, so to speak, the police. And 3) Libel laws weren't near what they are here. So reporters couldn't even name a suspect in writing no matter what the evidence against. Unless convicted, the name had to be a made up pseudo-name or nickname.
I did enjoy this movie on my first watching. It's a good crime drama. But then I learned how true it actually was and appreciated it even more.
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