Political activist Jimmy Gralton is deported from Ireland during the country's 'Red Scare' of the 1930s.
Despite repeated Biblical references (Gralton is almost a Christ-like martyr) it’s never as dramatic as you’d like, even in the finale. But if it proves to be Loach’s swan song, it’s a graceful note to bow out on.
While Jimmy's Hall is not one of Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty's most sophisticated stories, it does very neatly encapsulate a career's worth of social concerns.
Jimmy's Hall is one of the sunniest, most optimistic films in the Ken Loach canon.
Far from Loach's best.
It views the world in clear shades of black and white as honest, decent, salt-of-the-earth working-class folk are oppressed by the dark forces of church and state working hand-in-glove. It could have used some shades of grey.
Ken Loach’s collaborations with screenwriter Paul Laverty have become wearying and simplistic points-of-order of late.
Jim Norton's nuanced performance leavens this sometimes heavy-handed tale of a law-baiting Irish socialist.
A late-career triumph with genuine depth and heart.
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday July 4, 2014, until Thursday July 10, 2014. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com
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