Based on the true story of the Irish journalist, the film follows Veronica's (Cate Blanchett) increasing determination to battle Dublin's heroin problem. In the early scenes of the film, we see her stroll down a sidewalk strewn with drug refuse, and children are literally playing with the needles.
As it is the Hollywood convention for tragedy, the film opens with the deadly shots fired at Guerin before Schumacher backtracks and fills in the blanks: the pushy, determined reporter fearlessly barges into all kinds of shady situations -- junkie hangouts, brothels, and drug-lord horse ranches -- often with shockingly violent results. At home, her mother, husband, and son anxiously fear for Veronica's life while she rakes more and more mud and becomes a celebrity in Ireland.
Since we already know how the story ends, the interest of the film lies in the way we get there: the mean streets of Dublin which tourists never see, the performances by the Irish cast (including a cameo by Schumacher favorite Colin Farrell), and, first and foremost, Cate Blanchett. As always, she is a marvel: possessed, girlish, afraid, and breathtakingly courageous.
In the end, the characteristically slick Bruckheimer/Schumacher production values are a liability. The theme music, annoyingly mickey-mousing throughout, becomes overbearing for the emotionally wrenching finale. As effective as their methods are, those of us who refuse to be conned will resist the blatant manipulation. A more subtle and matter-of-fact approach might have served the memory of Veronica Guerin better.
