---
title: "Michael Collins"
year: 1996
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/michael-collins"
fi1m_id: "michael-collins"
imdb_id: "tt0117039"
tmdb_id: 1770
wikidata_id: "Q430535"
fi1m_score: 75
critics_score: 67
critics_reviews: 12
published: "2026-09-13"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:19.279066+00:00"
region: "GR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Michael Collins (1996)

Directed by Neil Jordan · 2h 12m · War, Drama, Thriller, History

## Identity

Michael Collins

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/michael-collins
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** michael-collins
- **IMDb ID:** tt0117039
- **TMDB ID:** 1770
- **Wikidata ID:** Q430535
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117039/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1770, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q430535

**Fi1m score: 75** · Critics 67 from 12 reviews

*In a sentence:* Liam Neeson could recruit us with that voice; we would still like to read the small print

> Neil Jordan’s *Michael Collins* is a forceful historical thriller with a troublesome fondness for its subject. Liam Neeson supplies the conviction, though Jordan leaves too little room for us to question the man he admires.

## Synopsis

Ireland, 1916. Michael Collins (Liam Neeson) becomes a central figure in the struggle over the country’s future. Neil Jordan’s historical drama follows the Irish revolutionary through a conflict in which political leadership and violence are closely connected. Alongside Collins are Harry Roland (Aidan Quinn), Ned Broy (Stephen Rea) and Eamon de Valera (Alan Rickman), while Julia Roberts plays Kitty Kiernan. The story follows Collins’s attempts to give direction to a revolutionary cause, with questions of power, loyalty and the means used to pursue political change shaping the drama.

## Review

Neil Jordan approaches *Michael Collins* with the urgency of a thriller and the affection of an admirer. The result is an involving historical drama, with a substantial reservation about how readily it asks us to approve of its subject. Jordan, who writes as well as directs, makes political struggle feel immediate because decisions have to become actions, often violent ones. It is good, forceful filmmaking, and we recommend it without accepting all of its judgements.

Liam Neeson’s Collins is the reason this approach gets as far as it does. Neeson gives him a confidence that seems useful to other people, the sort that could get them to act before they have settled their doubts. We were stirred by his bluster: Neeson’s delivery makes certainty sound reassuring even when the prospect of violence ought to make it frightening. That is a convincing way to play a leader, and Jordan gives him room to work.

The editing by J. Patrick Duffner and Tony Lawson is crucial to the thriller’s momentum. Jordan’s cross-cutting lets separate pieces of action press against one another, building apprehension without making the movement difficult to follow. There is something disturbing about the efficiency with which political purpose becomes violence. The filmmaking gives that process enough urgency to hold our attention without requiring a speech at every stage. These are the stretches in which Jordan seems most confident about what the pictures can tell us.

Chris Menges’s cinematography helps the danger feel close, even when the film works on a large scale. Anthony Pratt’s production design gives the period setting a solidity that matters when violence threatens it; the surroundings never seem to exist merely for inspection. Elliot Goldenthal’s music is more emphatic than we would sometimes wish. It lends the film feeling, but also presses us towards sympathy when Neeson has already done plenty of persuading.

Alan Rickman’s Eamon de Valera brings a useful complication. Rickman gives the part menace without making it simple, suggesting calculations that the central portrait is less willing to entertain. His performance provides some resistance to the film’s enthusiasm for Collins, and it is welcome. Jordan’s screenplay settles our sympathies early, leaving the supporting characters a good deal of work if they are to make us question the man at the centre.

That partiality is the film’s chief weakness as political biography. Jordan does not need to deliver a lecture or pretend to have no preferences, but he makes Collins too easy to admire. His treatment of the British is too broad, and the simplification makes the choices facing his hero seem less open to challenge. The thriller supplies danger and unease, yet the portrait keeps encouraging approval when it might profitably leave us uncomfortable.

There is still enough dramatic life here to justify the 132 minutes. Neeson and Rickman make the political conflict worth following, while Jordan’s handling of action prevents the history from becoming a procession of names and positions. Viewers looking for a historical thriller will have a better evening than those expecting a searching biography. See it for the performances and the suspense, and keep a little scepticism for the history.

*Fi1m score 75, published 13 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics come down in favour, and the praise gathers around Neil Jordan’s handling of the story as a thriller: the reviews keep returning to its pace, its scale and the momentum of its set pieces, with several noting the cross-cutting and the atmospheric camerawork and design. Liam Neeson’s Collins is the other point of agreement, described as vital, magnetic and blood-curdling by turns, and a number regard this as Jordan’s most ambitious film to that point.

The reservations are almost all about history. A recurring complaint is that Collins is painted as a saint and Éamon de Valera as a villain, with The Guardian objecting to specific liberties, including an exaggerated massacre. Roger Ebert finds the Julia Roberts romance unnecessary. Empire is alone in thinking Neeson lacks charisma, and The Independent reserves its warmest words for Alan Rickman. The spread is wide, running from outright enthusiasm to The New York Times, which calls the film sugarcoated and sloganeering.

## Straight answers

**Is Michael Collins worth watching?**

*Michael Collins* is worth watching as a forceful historical thriller, and we scored it 75. Liam Neeson's confident, persuasive Collins and Neil Jordan's handling of action keep the 132 minutes moving, though the film admires its subject too readily and paints the British too broadly. Viewers wanting a searching political biography should keep some scepticism to hand.

**How long is Michael Collins, and what is it rated?**

*Michael Collins* runs 2h 12m. It is a war and drama film.

**Where can I watch Michael Collins in Greece?**

*Michael Collins* is not on any streaming or rental service in Greece at the moment. It is available in 25 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Michael Collins, and is it suitable for children?**

*Michael Collins* carries a UK 15 certificate, and its violence is frequent and unsettling rather than incidental. The film follows a revolutionary conflict in which political decisions become killings, and Jordan's cross-cutting makes the danger feel close. It is not suitable for children, and younger teenagers may find the sustained menace and bloodshed hard going.

**How does Michael Collins compare to The Battle of Algiers?**

*Michael Collins* is the more conventional thriller of the two, built around a star performance and a hero it plainly admires, while [*The Battle of Algiers*](https://film.one/film/the-battle-of-algiers) is a harder, more searching account of urban revolt. Pontecorvo's documentary style demands you attend to the methods themselves; Jordan's film asks mainly for sympathy. The earlier film is the stronger political work, and *Michael Collins* the easier evening.

**What should I watch after Michael Collins?**

After *Michael Collins*, try [*The Battle of Algiers*](https://film.one/film/the-battle-of-algiers) (1966, Fi1m 93): A tougher account of urban revolt, where the methods demand close attention. Then [*The Official Story*](https://film.one/film/the-official-story) (1985, Fi1m 81): Political violence enters family life, and comfortable assumptions become harder to maintain; and [*Judas and the Black Messiah*](https://film.one/film/judas-and-the-black-messiah) (2021, Fi1m 80): Another forceful central performance, with political commitment tested by betrayal.

### Reviews we read (12)

- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): The film is a rare epic true story transferred to screen with matching intelligence, skill and elan; it is an extremely cinematic, beautifully made David Lean-type epic with a vital, confidence-filled performance by Neeson that captures Collins perfectly. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-11-ca-52601-story.html)
- **Time Out**, GA (90/100, inferred): Jordan's most ambitious and satisfying film to date, a dense and stirring thriller tracing Collins's career with real scale, pace, menace and moral import. Exceptional performances (aside from one mannered turn) and atmospheric camerawork and design evoke a country in turmoil. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/michael-collins)
- **The AV Club**, John Krewson (80/100, inferred): Neil Jordan's film is an extraordinary epic that succeeds as both cinema and history. Liam Neeson's performance as the title character stands out as stirring and blood-curdling. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/michael-collins-1798195688)
- **Empire**, Ian Nathan (70/100, inferred): The critic praises Jordan's intelligent, passionate direction and the film's momentum as a thriller about the Irish revolutionary, while noting it stumbles due to Neeson's lack of charisma in the lead role. It highlights strong supporting performances and moments of directorial mastery in cross-cutting. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/michael-collins-review/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a strong portrayal of the Irish revolutionary as a clear-sighted folk hero who used innovative guerrilla tactics and sought pragmatic peace, crediting Liam Neeson's performance. It criticizes the unnecessary romantic subplot with Julia Roberts' character and questions the film's depiction of Eamon de Valera as overly villainous. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/michael-collins-1996)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (70/100, inferred): Jordan has made a thriller that is astonishingly untalkative and blarney-free, depending on episodes to excite rather than persuade; it is a strong advance on his previous work, with fine cinematography, though it encourages the audience to like Collins too much and has some sketchiness. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/10/14/the-thrill-of-a-cause)
- **The Times**, Kate Muir (★★★★☆): The critic praises Liam Neeson as superb in the lead role and notes the film's heart and dramatic energy despite some historical deviations and period scenery. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/classic-film-michael-collins-1996-x8pl7sxp3)
- **The Independent** (60/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a well-mounted but overly schematic and romanticized biopic that portrays Collins as a plaster saint while demonizing the British. It singles out Alan Rickman's complex, menacing performance as de Valera for particular praise. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/film-a-hero-too-good-to-be-true-1351628.html)
- **The Guardian** (B (entertainment)): The critic finds the film watchable and mostly well-judged on a worthy subject but undermined by careless liberties with the facts, including exaggerating a massacre and implying de Valera's involvement in Collins's assassination. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/dec/09/reel-history-michael-collins-irish)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (50/100, inferred): The film is intelligent, enormously accomplished and seriously problematic, with tremendous action, incident and momentum that comes off like political history as gangster film; it has strong efforts from all hands but does not quite pay off dramatically. [Read](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/michael-collins-1200446989/)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (30/100, inferred): The critic notes the uphill battle Jordan faces in selling the little-known subject and criticizes the film's sugarcoating and sloganeering, but praises its passionate enthusiasm for the material and Neeson's magnetic, blustery performance as Collins. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/11/movies/michael-who-irish-freedom-fighter-and-big-fella.html)
- **Paste**, Ciara Moloney (75/100, inferred): The critic positions the film as a major but underappreciated work outside Ireland that nonetheless became a cultural cornerstone there upon release. They single out its big-studio Hollywood sheen and star power as elements that make it a compelling, if flawed, biopic worth revisiting on its own terms. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/neil-jordan/michael-collins-liam-neeson-anniversary)

## Details

- **Director:** Neil Jordan
- **Director:** Neil Jordan
- **Writer:** Neil Jordan
- **Cinematography:** Chris Menges
- **Editor:** Tony Lawson, J. Patrick Duffner
- **Music:** Elliot Goldenthal
- **Production design:** Anthony Pratt
- **Costume design:** Sandy Powell
- **Producer:** Stephen Woolley
- **Cast:** Liam Neeson as Michael Collins; Aidan Quinn as Harry Roland; Stephen Rea as Ned Broy; Alan Rickman as Eamon de Valera; Julia Roberts as Kitty Kiernan; Ian Hart as Joe O'Reilly; Brendan Gleeson as Liam Tobin; Stuart Graham as Tom Cullen
- **Runtime:** 2h 12m
- **Release (Greece):** 15 November 2000
- **Genres:** War, Drama, Thriller, History
- **Also in:** [Golden Lion winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-lion.md) (Winner, 1996)
- **Budget:** $25 million
- **Box office:** $17 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvFV6xOWK9I

## Where to watch in Greece

Not streaming, renting or buying in Greece at the last check.

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PT, RO, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1997: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Original Dramatic Score (nominated)
- Venice Film Festival 1996: Golden Lion (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Wind That Shakes the Barley* (2006): For another Irish struggle, with divided loyalties given more room to hurt
- *The Battle of Algiers* (1966), Fi1m 93: A tougher account of urban revolt, where the methods demand close attention — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-battle-of-algiers.md)
- *Army of Shadows* (1969): Resistance work shown through secrecy, suspicion and the exhausting business of staying alive
- *The Official Story* (1985), Fi1m 81: Political violence enters family life, and comfortable assumptions become harder to maintain — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-official-story.md)
- *Judas and the Black Messiah* (2021), Fi1m 80: Another forceful central performance, with political commitment tested by betrayal — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/judas-and-the-black-messiah.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/michael-collins