Devil's Own (DVD)

`The Devil's Own'' is the third movie in six months to deal with ``The Troubles'' in Ireland and the first to make them palpable to general audiences. The others, ``Michael Collins'' and ``Some Mother's Son,'' felt too much like history lessons.
God may be in the details, but this ``Devil'' does well to skip over the intricacies of the schism in Northern Ireland. ``If you're not confused, you don't understand,'' an IRA terrorist tells an Irish American judge, who is raising money for the cause while professing that it baffles him. That's about the extent of the history you'll get in this film.

Instead, director Alan J. Pakula has made what amounts to a buddy movie, using the Troubles as a backdrop for a story of friendship and betrayal. That the would-be buddies are played by Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt ensures enough star power to keep things moving even during the sluggish early scenes that set up their relationship.