Resurrection Man is a 1998 Irish extreme horror period drama film, set specifically in Northern Ireland, directed by Marc Evans with a screenplay written by Eoin McNamee based on his novel of the same name. The story is loosely based on the real-life "Shankill Butchers", an Ulster loyalist gang in 1970s Belfast who conducted random killings of Catholic civilians until their leader, Lenny Murphy, was assassinated by a Provisional IRA hit squad.
| Resurrection Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Marc Evans |
| Written by | Eoin McNamee |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | David Holmes |
| Distributed by | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.5 million[1] |
| Box office | £116,841 (UK)[2] |
Cast
edit- Stuart Townsend – Victor Kelly
- John Hannah – Darkie Larche
- James Nesbitt – Ryan
- James Ellis – Coppinger
- Brenda Fricker – Dorcas Kelly
- Geraldine O'Rawe – Heather Graham
- Seán McGinley – Sammy McClure
- George Shane – James Kelly
Production
editAlthough set in Belfast, Resurrection Man was not filmed there, with the English cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington serving as the film's locations.[3]
Critical reception and analysis
editIn an essay entitled "Vampire Troubles: Loyalism and Resurrection Man", academic Steve Baker argues that the film can be interpreted as a vampire film, "situating it within a loyalist self image of vampirism".[4][5] In fact, Stuart Townsend's performance in this film was what prompted Michael Rymer to cast him the role of the Vampire Lestat in Queen of the Damned.[6]
References
edit- ^ Dawtrey, Adam (8 November 1996). "Polygram to fund 'Resurrection Man'". Daily Variety. p. 29.
- ^ "British biz at the box office". Variety. 14 December 1998. p. 72.
- ^ Donnelly, K.J. The media and the tourist imagination: converging cultures.
- ^ Baker, Stephen (2004) Vampire Troubles: Loyalism and Resurrection Man. In: Keeping it real: themes and issues in Irish film and television. (Eds: Barton, Ruth and O'Brien, Harvey), Wallflower, pp. 78–86. ISBN 978-1-903364-94-9
- ^ Barton, Ruth (2004). Irish national cinema. Psychology Press. ISBN 0-415-27895-3.
- ^ Biography: Stuart Townsend, Talk Talk.