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Poster for Shake Hands with the Devil

Shake Hands with the Devil

1959 · 111 min

A somber, talky war drama that builds tension through moral dilemmas and sudden violence, with a tragic weight.

Directed by
Michael Anderson
Genres
Action, Drama, War
Starring
James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter
Tagline
A story of love and hate...and the sudden sound of guns!
Overview
In 1921 Dublin, the IRA battles the "Black & Tans," special British forces given to harsh measures. Irish-American medical student Kerry O'Shea hopes to stay aloof, but saving a wounded friend gets him outlawed, and inexorably drawn into the rebel organization by his former professor Sean Lenihan, who has "shaken hands with the devil" and begun to think of fighting as an end in itself. Complications arise when Kerry falls for a beautiful English hostage, and the British offer a peace treaty that is not enough to satisfy Lenihan.

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Rent or buy in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Michael Anderson
Genres
Action, Drama, War
Starring
James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • war
  • violence
  • loyalty
  • betrayal
  • freedom
Places
  • big city
  • countryside
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror1
Humour2
Realism7
Romance3
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
action, drama, war, history
Directed by
Michael Anderson
Written by
Ben Roberts, Ivan Goff
Starring
James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns, Michael Redgrave, Sybil Thorndike, Cyril Cusack, Marianne Benet
Music
William Alwyn
Cinematography
Erwin Hillier
Runtime
111 min
Country
Ireland, United States of America
Languages
English

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