You won't be disappointed!

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

After rewatching and enjoying Brit thriller '71 I decided to watch another thriller using the Irish troubles as its background . SHADOW DANCR came and went without any publicity whatsoever typical of many movies produced by BBC Films and the basic plot just seemed like a generic DONNIE BRASCO type plot of someone working undercover in a criminal gang hoping the brown smelly stuff doesn't hit the fan . It's not necessarily a bad idea for a plot and the fact that it has been used so often in thrillers is because it's not a bad idea for a plot and was intrigued as to how the production might bring something new to the oft used basic story The answer to this is through the use of languer . For the first 15 minutes director James Marsh uses long shot lengths and minimal dialogue to tell the story which I suppose is to give the film a feel of a dream slowly turning in to a waking nightmare . Certainly this is probably preferable to a Michael Bay production with constant fast edits but at the same time it's very divisive and if a potential audience tuned in then tuned out after the first 15 minutes I could understand their motives . , but the Troubles wasn't a conflict involving large piece Stalingrad type battles no matter what Hollywood garbage tries to tell you and so the low key approach is more than justified . Another aspect that the production tries to make it stand out from its peers is simply to have the undercover protagonist a female and mother called Collette !!!! SUGGESTIVE SPOILERS !!!! As the story continues it plays out as you'd expect it of the IRA becoming more and more suspicious of having a mole in their organisation .. Perhaps because the informant is female and her MI5 handler is played by Clive Owen then you're expecting a romantic subplot to blossom and to be fair the screenwriter has resisted this . There is a subplot about another informant being protected meaning Collette is being used as the fall guy but when their identity is revealed it's all rather unconvincing and unexplained and seems to be included to bring the film to a stop which probably sums up the rest of the film

Clive Owen is an MI5 stooge who instantly turns a Belfast bomb-dropper-offer woman into an informer, in spite of saying, 'This is going to take some time'. And yes, we get it: Belfast in the troubles (which aren't over btw) is as bleak as it gets. Those IRA guys just want everyone to be as miserable as they are, it seems.Now, introduce hundreds of indistinguishable miserable characters without names or any particular reason to exist other than it's a 'political' film, yeah? A few vignettes of IRA funerals and suchlike, just to lighten the mood. Forget to show the heroine for half an hour, and focus on Clive Owen's double chin.Fast forward ninety minutes. Still awake? Suddenly, Clive and his informer kiss. Fast forward thirty more minutes. then she arranges for his car to be booby trapped even though he offered to elope with her, I think. Because her mother's an informer too, and she has to die.You see, those IRA types just can't be anything but miserable.Who wrote this tripe? Is that the Tom Bradby who was ITV's political editor? Stick to news, Tom. If it wasn't you, sorry.

Collette (Andrea Riseborough) grew up with the Troubles in Belfast. In 1993, she plants a bomb in the London tube and gets caught. MI5 operative Mac (Clive Owen) gets the single mom to turn. She reluctantly gives Mac some intel and MI5 stage an ambush. The IRA is suspicious and Collette could be in danger. Meanwhile, Mac's boss Kate Fletcher (Gillian Anderson) seems to have her own agenda. Also the burgeoning peace plan is dividing the republicans.This movie is very low key and slow paced. Also I haven't noticed Andrea Riseborough in her other works. She seems to be very plain and plays her character very close to the vest. The emotions come out only in a couple of scenes. It all gives this movie a sense of realism. However the slow pace does take its toll. The tension is on a slow boil for most of the movie. The suspense is limited because there is no mystery here. There is a big twist in the end but the story generally lays out everything. The only thing left is a character study. Riseborough seems to be a good actress, and it's a functional movie on that basis.

what an extraordinary story told in a narrative style which keeps you guessing all the way to the final shot. all the performances were terrific, subtle as the story unfolds. i am a big history buff, so that aspect of this movie was a real treat for me personally. as i say, the only thing new is the history we do not know. i would highly recommend this movie to any thoughtful viewer who wants to be informed and entertained. it was truly a pleasure to have happened on this while going through the stacks at my library in the DVD section.bravo to the actors, author and screenplay writer and a wonderful piece of directing including style and pacing. a job well done, indeed!!!!!!