Route Irish

The term 'Route Irish' refers to the Baghdad Airport Road, which is the 12km stretch between the Allied Forces' Green Zone and the nearest Iraqi airport. Considered one of the most dangerous areas in the world, Route Irish is often attacked by terrorists, given the Allies' vulnerability outside of the Green Zone: from 2003-mid 2005, there were 14 car bombs, 48 roadside bombs and 80 small arm-attacks on the road, leading to 16 people being killed. 

In Ken Loach's Route Irish, the road's instability and danger is significant - literally and metaphorically - to his charged Iraq War drama. Former SAS soldier Fergus (Mark Womack) is emotionally damaged by his experiences in Iraq. Rather than turn away from the conflict, though, he joins a private security firm, convincing childhood friend Frankie (John Bishop) to join him. After Frankie is killed on the Route Irish, Fergus questions his company's version of events, especially when he is given handheld footage of the team's murder of Iraqi citizens.

Loach is one of the few international filmmakers unafraid to tackle difficult subject matter (Ireland in The Wind That Shakes the Barely, lower class alcoholism in My Name is Joe) and question authority figures, consistently pointing the finger at British politicians unconcerned with the struggles of the working class. Loach, for instance, is one of the few Western filmmakers genuinely interested in the struggles of the Iraqi people. In contrast to other Western films like Kimberly Peirce's Stop-Loss - in which the deaths of Iraqis serve to push Ryan Phillippe's grunt into cynicism against his Government - Route Irish centres the story on this victimisation. For Loach, the Iraqis are important as well, to the extent that he gives a key subplot to Harim (Talib Rasool), an Iraqi expat who questions the motivations to Fergus: significantly, Harim is present when Fergus' attempts to reach catharsis are thwarted by an Iraqi victim. 

Despite his rage, however, the focused and narratively driven Loach is rarely incoherent with his anger (though others disagree with this assessment, with some calling Route Irish 'didactic,' a common criticism of his work). Not only are the film's concerns brave - questioning authority, anger at Western disconnection with the Middle East - the film's structure is brilliantly conceived. Written by long-time collaborator Paul Laverty (My Name is Joe, Sweet Sixteen, Looking for Eric), the film establishes itself as an Edge of Darkness-style conspiracy thriller, but eventually reveals itself as a psychological drama. This is a trick lifted from other Loach-Laverty collaborations like Sweet Sixteen, in which the story unexpectedly reveals itself as a tragedy, in which their characters descend into violence without recognising the ultimate consequences of their actions.  

The understated photography also impresses. For the first time since 1981, Loach reteams with his Kes cinematographer Chris Menges: since then Menges won Oscars for The Killing Fields and The Mission whilst Loach found another significant collaborator in The Hurt Locker's Barry Ackroyd. Loach and Menges favour understated compositions and camera techniques that place the viewer outside of the space of the lead character, creating an emotional distance to Fergus that is ultimately resolved by the film's dark ending. 

Performances are solid, if unspectacular. Womack perhaps lacks the charisma of Sixteen's Martin Compston or the gravitas of Joe's Peter Mullan, but he is a decent Loach lead, lacking in any actory-ticks. Bishop makes for a hugely likeable Frankie and Andrea Lowe is also very good as Frankie's girlfriend. Special mention should be made of Trevor Williams, who apparently performed that scene for real (when you see the film, you'll know what scene).

Beautifully photographed and written, Route Irish is one of the more intelligent and challenging Middle East dramas of the past few years.