In the mid-90s, Guerin (Blanchett) was a tenacious journalist who just wouldn't stop digging into Dublin's drug problem, tracing the problem from the seedy slums to the lowlife dealers and eventually linking it to big crime bosses and challenging Ireland's lax legal system. Along the way she of course made a lot of enemies, but being shot and beat up didn't put her off at all.

This is indeed an amazing story, and after a choppy opening section it kicks into gear with a seriously powerful emotional resonance. As usual, Schumacher has a fine visual sense; this is one of the most polished Irish dramas in recent memory. He also manages to make a film that'll have an added emotional kick for Americans, who probably don't know how Guerin's story ends. It looks fantastic, and the cast is uniformly excellent, from Fricker's sensitive and understated turn as Guerin's mother to McSorley and Hinds as increasingly desperate criminals with distinctly different agendas. Meanwhile, Blanchett holds the film together gorgeously, with a meaty, gritty and deeply engaging performance that lets us see Guerin's inner light, as well as her blind determination to do her job and help her society. Because of this, you can almost forgive Schumacher for badly over-egging the story, drifting into badly manipulative sentiment at the end. But this and the clunky opening third of the film weakens the story severely. When the Sky Falls is still essential version of this story. Find it!