Common Sense Media Review
By Tom Cassidy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
IRA crime drama has language, violence, smoking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Troubles: A Dublin Story
What's the Story?
In THE TROUBLES: A DUBLIN STORY, brothers Sean (Ray Malone) and Francis (Adam Redmond) volunteer to join the Provisional IRA. Away from the conflict in Northern Ireland, Sean and Francis operate like gangsters in Dublin to fund the war by dangerous methods and alliances.
Is It Any Good?
Based on real events, this Irish drama, set amid "The Troubles" in 1980s Northern Ireland, plays like a gangster movie. The Troubles: A Dublin Story finds brothers Sean and Francis joining a sleeper cell and helping to fund the Provisional IRA. The atmospheric, low-key drama, captures a time in Ireland when danger and menace hung in the air. The characters live deadly serious lives under strict rules. Surveillance and intimidation by allies are daily realities and amid this, Malone stands out as the hotheaded Sean, a seething ball of fury who is drawn to violence. Honest in its depiction, the movie doesn't glorify its characters -- "Morals don't win wars," one says while he justifies accepting funds from a drug dealer. Rather it stands as a chilling snapshot into what is sacrificed when fighting for a cause.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The Troubles: A Dublin Story. Did it seem realistic or over the top? Did the violent scenes help tell the story in an effective way? Was it shocking or thrilling? Why? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?
Discuss "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. What did you know about it before you saw this movie? Has it encouraged you to find out more? How to talk to kids about violence, crime, and war.
There's lots of strong language used in the movie. What did it contribute to the story? Is a certain level of language expected in a film like this? If so, why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 5, 2024
- Cast : Ray Malone , Adam Redmond , Sophia Adli
- Director : Luke Hanlon
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Good Deed Entertainment
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : History
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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