Fairly typical Schumacher fare in that it looks okay in an over-processed sort of way, tackles middlebrow concerns with a middlebrow squeamishness, and sucks.
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
As the story progresses, I would expect an edge of cynicism and caution to enter Guerin's character but Blanchett plays it with an upbeat, optimistic air to the very end.
A high-brow docudrama, but one that doesn't transcend the conventions of the genre.
I thought the ending was ladled with an extra helping of sentiment that wasn’t really necessary, but it doesn’t detract from Blanchett’s amazing performance, and the power of this story.
A more subtle and matter-of-fact approach might have served the memory of Veronica Guerin better.
Blanchett gives a performance that is too breezy and her Veronica often comes across as daftly naive
Cate Blanchett and Joel Schumacher bring us a brutal, but worthwhile, film.
Journalists don't usually get much respect at the movies, but Veronica Guerin is successful in its straight-up retelling of the true story of a journalist who turned into a modern-day martyr.
A sincere, dramatically restrained story of Dublin's crime-fighting journalist.
The Batman butcher seems unable to decide whether to make it a gritty, realistic drama, or sell out and make it all flashy and Hollywood.
It's slickly packaged, looks good in widescreen and toplines Cate Blanchett, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer and helmer Joel Schumacher seem boxed in by the very recent story.
Blanchett brings her expected professionalism and ability to the role. Her Irish accent is perfect, and she has the charisma and presence to easily hold center stage.
Well-made, superbly acted and, for the most part, tightly written and structured, this is a worthy legacy to a remarkable chapter in Irish life.
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 |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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

