Director: David Caffrey Writer: Colin Bateman (from his novel) Dan Starkey: David Thewlis Patricia Starkey: Laine Megaw Margaret: Laura Fraser Michael Brinn: Robert Lindsay

Thirty something Dan Starkey writes a satirical column for the Belfast Evening News. Dan likes to think of himself as - "Mr Cool". He's your stereotyped male journo - a cynical, wise-cracking, hard drinking, womaniser - and he has the larrikan charm of the Irish which wins over his wife Patricia, more often than not. But one night, at a raucous drunken party in his home, he oversteps the mark and finds himself booted out and into the arms of a young arts student, Margaret.

In the outside world an election is in the offing and the leading contestant Michael Brinn is promising to bring peace at last. Then the daughter of one of his right-handmen is murdered, whilst her latest lover, our Dan, is out buying them a pizza. Blamed for the murder Dan becomes a fugitive wanted not only by the police but by literally everyone from the IRA to the loyalists and every political faction in between.

"Divorcing Jack" has charm, energy, dark humour and violence in almost equal proportions. And these elements come together in Dan played by David Thewlis. His performance moves easily from charmer to cad, cynic to idealist, clown to hero. And in the process Dan comes to represent the "ordinary" person pulled this way and that by those with more power, political clout and the willingness to use violence. The character can be seen as encapsulating all the crazy conflicting elements that have made the situation in Northern Ireland so intractable.

Our own Rachel Griffiths, complete with Irish accent, savours every element of her relatively small supporting role and turns in a wonderful comic performance as Dan's saviour - a nurse who doubles as a gun toting nun at night. The music of Van Morrison adds a suitably bluesy quality.

"Divorcing Jack" has been adapted for the screen by Colin Bateman from his cult novel of the same name. It represents the directorial debut of David Caffrey and has all the energy, dark humour and even violence that we have come to expect from recent British filmmaking.

As a comedy/thriller that manages to bring out the incredible intricacies of the situation in Northern Ireland without taking sides. It will certainly appeal to those who have lost faith in our political system, suggesting as it does that compromise is very much the name of the game and that loyalty and trust are commodities to be bought and sold. And it is very funny!

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