Veronica Guerin was a tenacious investigative reporter in Dublin who in 1996, while waiting in her car for a traffic light to change, was fatally gunned down by the henchmen of a drug lord she had exposed. There had been threats and even a bullet fired at her before, but Guerin refused to back down.
Her story is told and her relentless drive is examined in Veronica Guerin, a compelling though standard biopic lit up by Blanchett's passionate, quicksilver performance in the title role. Although obviously admiring of Guerin, director Joel Schumacher (Phone Booth) and Blanchett don't present her as perfect. Guerin knew that by continuing to dig into the drug trade, she was endangering herself and possibly her husband and young son. But some stories should be told, including this one. (R)
BIOPIC
