Top 10 Irish films of the decade

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Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands in "Hunger"

Photo by Steffan Hill/Christopher Hill Ph

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3. Once (2007)

The genesis of this Oscar winning film was unusually protracted, but Irish director John Carney and songwriter Glen Hansard were working closely together in 2002 when the film project that became Once was first discussed. Shot on a shoestring budget, what no one anticipated was that Once would become one of the biggest hits of the decade. 

Once reminded audiences of the simple pleasures of straightforward story telling, and it featured first time actors who excelled in their roles. Best of all it featured a terrific set of songs, including the Oscar winning theme song “Falling Slowly.” 

4. The Departed (2006) 

This white knuckle thriller is set in Boston where the notorious Irish Mob boss Francis “Frank” Costello (Jack Nicholson) plants Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) as an informant within the Massachusetts State Police just as the police assign an undercover cop Billy Costigan, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello’s crew. It’s tit for tat but no one knows who’s holding the winning hand. When both sides of the law realize the situation, each man attempts to discover the other's true identity before being found out. 

5. Brothers (2009) 

Currently showing in the cinemas, Brothers is the wrenchingly powerful new film directed by Irish favorite Jim Sheridan that tells the story of two Irish American siblings Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and his younger brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) who are polar opposites. When Sam, a decorated Marine, goes missing in Afghanistan he’s presumed dead, leaving his black sheep younger brother to care for his wife (Natalie Portman) and children. 

But it turns out that Sam isn’t dead. He returns to the U.S. looking frail, careworn and brutalized by what he’s been through. Worse, he suspects his wife and his brother have fallen in love. Add a guilt wracked conscience and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to this powder keg and the film powers forward with a deepening sense of menace. 

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