Irish Film Institute -International Film Directory – Film Listing

Maze

    • Director

      Stephen Burke

    • Credits

      Producers:
      Jane Doolan
      Brendan J Byrne

      Writer:
      Stephen Burke

    • Principal Cast

      Tom Vaughan-Lawlor
      Barry Ward
      Martin McCann

  • Category

    Feature

Inspired by the true story of the escape by 38 IRA prisoners from the notorious Maze Prison in 1983 (which left one prison officer dead and others seriously injured), Maze is a post-hunger strike narrative which eschews jailbreak high-jinx in favour of intense character-driven drama.

IRA prisoner Larry Marley (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), plans his escape with unwavering determination, despite the reservations of fellow inmate, Oscar (Martin McCann). When he realises world-weary prison warder Gordon Close (Barry Ward) may be useful for his plan, he manages to nurture a relationship which will have far-reaching consequences for them both. Filmed in a recently decommissioned Cork prison, Stephen Burke re-engages his interest in Northern Irish narratives to deliver a tonally authentic, largely non-partisan drama which explores how ordinary people survive in extraordinary circumstances.

93 minutes, Ireland, 2017, Colour

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