The Tiger’s Tail

Even at the age of 76, John Boorman is one of those directors upon whom you can always pin a faint hope. Sure, he hasn’t been relative for at least a decade, but you can’t forget that this is the man who made Point Blank, Deliverance, Excalibur and Hope and Glory. The unsteady ship that is Boorman’s 2006 The Tiger’s Tail, finally released to DVD in America, charts an intriguing course with intermittent success. It’s the story of a Dublin double—Brendan Gleeson, so often relegated to dour supporting roles in unambitious American films, plays Liam O’Leary, a successful architect haunted by his own doppelganger. The Tiger’s Tail is a nice attempt at examining the cultural identity of post-“Troubles” Ireland, but the script isn’t strong enough, and the acting is a real mixed bag.