Resurrection Man (film)

Resurrection Man
Directed byMarc Evans
Written byEoin McNamee
Produced by
Starring
Music byDavid Holmes
Distributed byPolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Release date
  • 13 February 1998 (1998-02-13) (UK)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.5 million[1]
Box office£116,841 (UK)[2]

Resurrection Man is a 1998 Irish extreme horror period drama film, set specifically in Northern Ireland, directed by Marc Evans with a screenplay written by Eoin McNamee based on his novel of the same name. The story is loosely based on the real-life "Shankill Butchers", an Ulster loyalist gang in 1970s Belfast who conducted random killings of Catholic civilians until their leader, Lenny Murphy, was assassinated by a Provisional IRA hit squad.

Cast

Production

Although set in Belfast, Resurrection Man was not filmed there, with the English cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington serving as the film's locations.[3]

Critical reception and analysis

In an essay entitled "Vampire Troubles: Loyalism and Resurrection Man", academic Steve Baker argues that the film can be interpreted as a vampire film, "situating it within a loyalist self image of vampirism".[4][5] In fact, Stuart Townsend's performance in this film was what prompted Michael Rymer to cast him the role of the Vampire Lestat in Queen of the Damned.[6]

References

  1. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (8 November 1996). "Polygram to fund 'Resurrection Man'". Daily Variety. p. 29.
  2. ^ "British biz at the box office". Variety. 14 December 1998. p. 72.
  3. ^ Donnelly, K.J. The media and the tourist imagination: converging cultures.
  4. ^ Baker, Stephen (2004) Vampire Troubles: Loyalism and Resurrection Man. In: Keeping it real: themes and issues in Irish film and television. (Eds: Barton, Ruth and O'Brien, Harvey), Wallflower, pp. 78–86. ISBN 978-1-903364-94-9
  5. ^ Barton, Ruth (2004). Irish national cinema. Psychology Press. ISBN 0-415-27895-3.
  6. ^ Biography: Stuart Townsend, Talk Talk.