How can I criticize a film about a fearless crusader who was killed by the very drug lords she fought against? Well, here goes…
Veronica Guerin (2003)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:134
Fresh:72
Rotten:62
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Cate Blanchett gives another great performance in a movie that doesn't shed much light on its title character.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: VERONICA GUERIN, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joel Schumacher, is the true story of the tenacious Irish crime reporter (Cate Blanchett) who exposed the brutal drug trade in 1990s... VERONICA GUERIN, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joel Schumacher, is the true story of the tenacious Irish crime reporter (Cate Blanchett) who exposed the brutal drug trade in 1990s Dublin. Veronica Guerin's intense dedication to her journalism, reckless hunger for the truth, and profound sense of social responsibility is grippingly portrayed by Blanchett in a magnetic performance. Told in flashback, the film begins at the moment of her brutal assassination in 1996 and moves backwards, telling the story of the last two years of her life. A competitive journalist with no drug background, Veronica started her fierce campaign against Dublin's drug trade after witnessing young children playing with hypodermic needles in the city's slums. At that moment she started interviewing addicts and small-time thugs and what she discovered eventually led her into a fiercely protected inner circle of drug kingpins, controlled by the viciously powerful John Gilligan (Gerard McSorley). What began as a search for a story became Veronica's obsession. Her quest overshadowed her duties as a wife and mother and eventually threatened the lives of her husband and child. Heroic yet reckless, she persevered, and after threats and violent beatings she was assassinated by the very gangsters she threatened to expose. [More]
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Gerard McSorley, Ciaran Hinds, Brenda Fricker
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Gerard McSorley, Ciaran Hinds, Brenda Fricker
Director: Joel Schumacher
Director: Joel Schumacher
Screenwriter: Carol Doyle, Mary Agnes Donoghue
Story: Carol Doyle
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Reviews for Veronica Guerin
Blanchett turns in her most accessible performance to date by breathing life into Guerin
A biopic that's more pic than bio -- more a Hollywood beatification of its title subject than an examination of what made her tick.
... I must admit that I have no real idea how accurately Veronica Guerin portrays the individuals involved. I can only say that, except in the case of Hinds' Traynor, they all came off as two-dimensional movie archetypes who converse via slogan.
Watchable as it is, Veronica Guerin doesn't really take us deep inside Veronica's psyche.
Cate Blanchett plays Guerin in a way that fascinated me for reasons the movie probably did not intend.
My god, the talent. This [Blanchett's] bestest, stunningest, most remarkably surefooted performance ever...
Impersonal and cold for most of the way, then finishing up with a sudden dose of broad sentimentality.
Cate Blanchett's subtle, powerful performance as Guerin attempts to take the high emotional pitch down a notch, but, in the case of saving this film, it seems that one woman can't make a difference.
Made gripping almost single-handedly by Blanchett's superlative performance.
Assuming an Irish brogue that never gets theatrical and never lets down, [Blanchett] powers through this movie with the riveting intensity and aching, poignant credibility of Meryl Streep in her prime.
Crafted with intelligence and grit by Joel Schumacher and anchored by the brilliant Cate Blanchett.
Latest News for Veronica Guerin
May 11, 2005:
Fox Searchlight to Do a "Scandal" with Blanchett & Dench
From the pages of Variety comes news of the timely drama "Notes From a Scandal," which is based on Zoe Heller's novel "What Was She Thinking?" Cate Blanchett... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Veronica Guerin at Rotten Tomatoes
- Veronica Guerin at IGN
- Veronica Guerin at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

