Cal

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Cal

R

1984

1h 44m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Fraught with guilt about his involvement in the murder of a Protestant police officer, Irish Republican Army member Cal (John Lynch) eschews violence and longs to defect from the organization. He meets Marcella (Helen Mirren), the widow of the slain officer, at the local library and is instantly drawn to her. Their mutual feelings of confusion and distress bring them together, but their relationship faces obstacles. Cal must hide his secret from Marcella, while also dodging the police.

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Time Out

The symbolism is thrashed just a little hard at times, but on the whole it's a most impressive debut from O'Connor, strongly acted all round.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Cal tells a story that has been told many times before, but tells it quietly and powerfully about a particular time and place: Northern Ireland in the 1980s.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

Miss Mirren, through a reserve that disappears layer by layer, makes Marcella a woman of unexpected substance and generosity, one who is no more comfortable with the pain and paradoxes of Northern Ireland than Cal is himself.

Rated: 4/4

May 20, 2003

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Has its powerful moments.

Rated: B

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Oct 8, 2005

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jun 29, 2005

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Geke g

Cal, very appropriate movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/24

Full Review

Bahad j

I really liked the characters and actions of the actors

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/06/24

Full Review

Munkhchimeg T

Extremely good romantic and sad movie. Fantastic team and actors

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/06/24

Full Review

isla s

This is a low key film which has a chronology that some may find confusing. It is pretty downbeat for the most part but I thought the ending was somewhat poignant. It was interesting to see Helen Mirren in one of the roles. Not a bad film, if a little bleak and perhaps directionless seeming at times, by the very end its a good film but overall it's only ok, I'd say.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The "troubles" are a thing of the past. Gerry Adams trying for the mainstream, and everyone getting along. If you want to know how it was back in the eighties, you can watch this film with Helen Mirren and Belfast native John Lynch, both of them easy on the eyes. Helen Mirren has also been featured in two other films about the troubles, which are also worth seeing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A compelling film on a dark period. It is simple and quite in portrayal, leaves a strong impression.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Pat O'Connor

Director

Helen Mirren

Marcella

John Lynch

Cal

Donal McCann

Shamie

John Kavanagh

Skeffington

Ray McAnally

Cyril Dunlop

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Synopsis

Fraught with guilt about his involvement in the murder of a Protestant police officer, Irish Republican Army member Cal (John Lynch) eschews violence and longs to defect from the organization. He meets Marcella (Helen Mirren), the widow of the slain officer, at the local library and is instantly drawn to her. Their mutual feelings of confusion and distress bring them together, but their relationship faces obstacles. Cal must hide his secret from Marcella, while also dodging the police.

Director: Pat O'Connor
Producer: Stuart Craig, David Puttnam
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 14, 2017
Runtime: 1h 44m

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