Neil Jordan’s hugely ambitious account of the rise of arguably the central figure in Ireland’s painful, bloody fight for independence. A subject which was always going to be controversial, but at heart it plays out on a historic scale the personal conflict of the title character played with seductive charisma by Liam Neeson. The spectacular crowd scenes and recreation of 1920’s Ireland is matched by the all star cast including Julia Roberts, Alan Rickman and Aidan Quinn. Michael Collins is a hugely important film in contemporary Irish cinema history and was a huge box office success in Ireland. (Grainne HUMPHREYS)