It's 1911 Dublin in British ruled Ireland. Laborer John Cassidy (Rod Taylor) is struggling to make ends mean for his extended family. He gets involved with a strike where he meets Daisy Battles (Julie Christie). He tries to steal books from book seller Nora (Maggie Smith). The aspiring writer joins a militia. After a bloody battle, he starts using his pen rather than the sword.
It's a biopic based on playwright Seán O'Casey's autobiographical novel. I don't really like Cassidy. I do wonder if Connery had play the character. The movie is trying for some irreverent broad humor, but Rod Taylor is not pulling it off. That's not even considering whether the humor works side-by-side with the serious subject matter. There is one really bad broad joke in the middle of a battle which destroys the action. John Ford started directing but illness forced him to be replaced by Jack Cardiff. I do like the early strike riot scene, but the movie becomes uneven after that. After the peace treaty, the subject turns and there is a divide in the story.
It's a biopic based on playwright Seán O'Casey's autobiographical novel. I don't really like Cassidy. I do wonder if Connery had play the character. The movie is trying for some irreverent broad humor, but Rod Taylor is not pulling it off. That's not even considering whether the humor works side-by-side with the serious subject matter. There is one really bad broad joke in the middle of a battle which destroys the action. John Ford started directing but illness forced him to be replaced by Jack Cardiff. I do like the early strike riot scene, but the movie becomes uneven after that. After the peace treaty, the subject turns and there is a divide in the story.