Shake Hands with the Devil (1959)

I love this movie so much

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Shake Hands with the Devil is directed by Michael Anderson and adapted to screenplay by Marian Spitzer from the novel written by Rearden Conner. It stars James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns, Michael Redgrave and Sybil Thorndike. Music is by William Alywyn and cinematography by Erwin Hillier.It's 1920s Dublin, Ireland, and the Irish Republican Army are at war with the British Black & Tans. Into the conflict comes Irish American Kerry O'Shea (Murray), who in spite of being apolitical is drawn into darker waters as the violence rages. Complications arise when a hostage situation unfurls, all while the strings are being pulled by the IRA's fearsome commandant, Sean Lenihan (Cagney), who wants Kerry under his wing.It has always been a tricky subject to film, the so called Irish Troubles, for too many film makers have either been ignorant of the facts in the name of good cinema, or so fuelled by other motives it's difficult to get on side with such one sided venom. Michael Anderson's film, whilst itself harbouring dubious political material, deserves plaudits for trying to come at the topic from both sides, embracing the complexities of the issues and never shying away from the violence that tore through parts of Ireland. Even if it ends up being a little confused as to its aims.Filmed on location predominantly in Dublin, there's almighty strength in the cinematography of Hillier (The Mark of Cain/Chase a Crooked Shadow). The night time shots of damp cobbled streets and gaslights are ethereal, while in daytime the lush landscapes are imposing yet still giving off a depressing hue. On the acting front it's Cagney who dominates, in one of his craziest and most crafty roles, he's a Vesuvius who darts between being the honourable cause man, to that of a psychotic who doesn't believe peace is a viable option. Strong support comes from Wynter and Johns.Political hot-pot with wrought emotion, and action scenes that impact as Cagney does his stuff, Shake Hands with the Devil leaves a mark. 7/10

This was a superb drama, magnificently acted with sensational black and white images throughout. This movie was shown on Channel 13 in NYC on Jan. 21, 2012. Somehow, I had never heard of it before. It's as good as any black-and-white movie drama I have ever seen. I put it in the same class of excellence for this category as The Third Man, High Noon, The Bicycle Thief, Zorba the Greek, and The Hustler. I'm so glad I saw it.This movie contains a lot of violent action, but it is shown in the context of a gripping plot involving complex, three-dimensional characters. The only exception is the minor character Col. Smithson. He is a thoroughly "bad guy" character whose brutality incites the Irish resistance fighters to seek vengeance with an elaborate assassination plot that sets the stage for the climax of the movie. It was all wonderfully satisfying. It would make a terrific opera.

A rather nondescript movie which labors to really come to grips with the issues, but there is more to this film than meets the eye, and its worth viewing more than once. Jim Cagney gives an excellent portrayal as the intellectual who seems to have thought everything through, and draws his protégé over onto the dark side, much against the latter's better judgment. Only right at the end are we made aware that whatever higher levels of reasoning may have led the professor down the path of terrorism, all he really wants to do is kill women.I'd call that a fairly definitive statement about terrorists in general and Cagney makes it in his understated but masterful style. I wonder if his character was based on a real person from that troubled time ? R. B.

This is also the first movie role for Richard Harris. He is easily recognizable as one of the IRA gunmen and makes a dramatic suicide stand against the British on the dockside. No idea why he is not mentioned in the database credits, but it is worth mentioning. He plays a lean, mean Irish tough in the pub scene and on the dockside at the shootout. It is because of the Richard Harris character that the hero is captured alive. It is easy to recognize Richard Harris in the movie by his voice and his face, but his youth and apparent physical strength is surprising, given how he has slimmed with age. I hope that this brief comment will alert the interested movie goer to look for Richard Harris in the movie and see all of the elements of his style, which are repeated in countless movies later.