Harry's Game

[Dirty Epic]

Been thinking about getting this on DVD. Does anyone else have this and would they recommend it. Saw it a few years back on Granada Plus or something and think I liked it but can't remember too much about it tbh.

[Del Boy]

Cant help you i'm afraid Dirty. I'm sure someone will be along who has some knowledge about it.

[Dirty Epic]

After getting it a few months back I’ve just got around to watching Harry’s Game on DVD and on the whole it’s very, very good

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler Alert - Click Here To Reveal}
Ray Lonnen plays senior army officer Harry Brown who is drafter into an undercover role in Belfast to flush out the killer of British Cabinet minister Henry Danby who has been assassinated by the IRA. Brown has been chosen for the mission as he’s a native Ulsterman and is a specialist in infiltration work in various military conflicts, most notably in Oman.

Taking on the guise of a ex-merchant seaman Harry McEvoy he buries himself in Belfast’s Falls Road where he eventually uncovers the identity of the assassin Billy Downes (Derek Thompson) and the various links between him, the nationalist community, the IRA and the RUC and army at the height of the troubles in the early 1980’s. Downes – for reasons not known, seems an unwilling participant in the armed conflict but again for similar ambiguous reasons he goes along with whatever orders/expectations handed down to him from those higher up within the IRA. Downes wife (Maggie Shevlin) is also shocked, terrified and wants Billy to get out of these activities with the IRA before he ends up dead or in jail. However she can’t quit convince him to do this before the net closes in on him.

Things for Harry are also closing in and after a waiter (Ian Bleasdale) at a exclusive restaurant/club overhears British military officers discussing a covert operative has been dropped into the Falls Road the IRA hierarchy want him removed (executed) with extreme prejudice. Prior to this the teenage daughter of a republican sympathising family Theresa McCorrigan (Linda Robson) was taken in for questioning by the RUC and through fear she commits suicide whilst in custody. The family hid Billy prior to his return to The Falls and information of their activities has been leaked to Harry through a romantic relationship he has with a cleaning lady in his digs Josephine Laverty (Gil Brailey).

The Falls IRA Brigade Commander (Tony Rohr) gives Billy an order to assassinate the RUC officer Insp. Howard Rennie (Sean Caffrey) who questioned Theresa. Billy lies in wait for Rennie holding his wife and children hostage before Rennie returns home from work. Rennie notices the garage light not being on when he parks his car and on guard confronts Billy who is shot, injured and unable/unwilling to shoot Rennie as his young daughter gets in the way. Making his escape word of Downes being Danby’s assassin has now reached British intelligence and the net is closing in on him. Likewise on Harry with the IRA commander assembling a small crew of associates – including Downes to take Harry out when he leaves for work at a scrap yard the next morning. Harry notices the stakeout and on guard calls it’s bluff killing the son of his landlady’s next door neighbour Seamus Duffryn (Charles Lawson) injuring another and pursues Downes back to his family home. After a lengthy pursuit Harry and a now unarmed Billy confront each other and after a brief standoff Harry shoots and kills Billy. However before he can get out a covert army surveillance team thinking the shooting is a republican fall out/dispute shoots Harry in the back. Bleeding and seriously injured Harry tries to escape but he is confronted by Downes wife who is holding his own gun. In retribution she kills him.

Based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour Harry’s Game does tackle the tit for tat violence the troubles threw up throughout the 1970’s/80’s. Much of it is pretty senseless but the participants in this may not always be willing and enjoy doing what they ‘have’ to do. I won’t argue the rights/wrongs of that as I’m a supporter of neither side. I will say it tackles this piece of British/Irish history very well and is perhaps the best pieces of television about the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. The tension, it’s causes and futility are handled very well and we get underneath the surface of what each side in this conflict does what it does. Considering it was made/shown in 1982 it was a brave piece of television to be made and if you like things on the grittier, political side of things you’ll like Harry’s Game. Filming was done mainly in the Burley district of Leeds which was being redeveloped at the time but it does uncannily have a look of Belfast back then and like most contemporary drama of it’s time it feels very everyday with the houses, costumes and people having an almost documentary feel to it. It’s also lightyears ahead of any of the Hollywood movies like Patriot Games, The Devils Own etc. which depict the IRA in an exaggerated inaccurate form too. Mind you if ITV made this now they’d probably go down that route too…

For fans of The Sweeney, Pro’s etc. many of it’s faces like Tony Rohr, Sean Caffrey, Benjamin Whitrow, Elizabeth Begley and Gary Waldhorn are present and even some of the main cast like Charles Lawson and Derek Thompson perhaps better known for Coronation Street and Casualty shine in these roles and perhaps could have gone on to similar successful roles if they weren’t typecast with the more soapy famous roles they subsequently took on. Overall I’d rate it at 8.5/10 and fully recommend it to forum members. Be warned though it is quite raw and grim and may not be to all forum members tastes.