The lowdown:  'Shake Hands With the Devil' stars Don Murray as an Irish-American medical student named Kerry O'Shea,
who returns to Dublin in 1921 to bury his mother, but gets caught up in the "Troubles". O'Shea is visiting his parents' grave
when the British special forces, the so-called "Black and Tans" interrupt a mock funeral which is being held by the IRA (the
coffin is full of guns). O'Shea then helps a friend who is wounded by the Black and Tans. The friend is a member of the IRA,
and O'Shea is brought before the leaders of the organisation, who include his university university lecturer, Sean Lenihan
(James Cagney). O'Shea quickly learns how brutal the IRA can be, when one of its members wants to resign and is told to
either withdraw his resignation or be killed. O'Shea is subsequently captured and interrogated by the Tans after being found
in possession of a British Army revolver during a raid on a pub. Lenihan wants to rescue O'Shea because he has been to the
IRA's headquarters and can identify its leaders, and he organises a daring raid to free O'Shea, who is now involved with the
rebel organisation whether he wants to or not.

Meanwhile, the IRA steps up its campaign for independence by abducting Jennifer Curtis (Dana Wynter), the daughter of a
wealthy British landowner. Disguised as regular British soldiers, the abductors go through a roadblock that is manned by
Sergeant Jenkins (William Hartnell), who lets them pass before realising that they are imposters. O'Shea soon falls in love
with Curtis, although the IRA has decided that she is a liability and plan to execute her. Lenihan takes her to the edge of a
cliff, where he intends to shot her, but O'Shea will not let her die and there is a confrontation between O'Shea and Lenihan.
The latter refuses to accept a peace treaty proposed by the British, and wants to continue to fight his own war, and is shot
dead by O'Shea.

The verdict:  'Shake Hands With the Devil' features an excellent script and some great acting, and although it may not be
entirely historically accurate, it is highly recommended for fans of British film noir. It deals with similar themes as the 1947
film, 'Odd Man Out', which also starred James Mason as an IRA leader and featured a brief appearance by William Hartnell.
Neither film used the name IRA, and only referred to it as "the organisation".

Note:  This film should not be confused with a 2007 film of the same name, which is an adaptation of the autobiography of
Canada's General Romeo Dallaire and examines the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. 

Video clip:   Sergeant Jenkins      6.4mb
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