The Journey

Feeling more like a stage play than a movie, The Journey focuses on the imagined interactions between two key players in Northern Ireland's desperately needed peace process. And though this dramatic device can feel a bit small and slow for a big screen presentation, the film nevertheless provides an insightful window into this decades-long struggle.

Neither as well-written or well-acted as it wants to be. Timothy Spall is unconvincing. Interesting historical meeting troubled by fairytale direction.

Two good lead performances, Spall is great as usual, but the film isn't very well made or written. Every time the camera leaves the car feels like an escape on a writing level to transition to a different conversation without putting in the work to make the overall conversation realistic or engrossing. Are we honestly supposed to believe that the guy assigned to make them get along didn't know that was his objective until he was in the car and someone told him over his bluetooth? Lazy exposition

Very good, Meaney and Spall put on great performances especially the latter.