The Devil’s Own

1997

Character: Rory Devaney/Francis Austin McGuire
Release Date: 26 March 1997
Directed By: Alan J. Pakula
Written By: David Aaron Cohen, Vincent Patrick, Kevin Jarre
Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller
Tagline: One man trapped by destiny, and another bound by duty. They’re about to discover what they’re willing to fight, and to die for
MPAA Rating: R
Produced by: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures
Budget: $80,000,000 (estimated)
Filming Dates: 5 February 1996 – August 1996

Cast:
Harrison Ford…Tom O’Meara
Brad Pitt…Rory Devaney/Francis Austin McGuire
Margaret Colin…Sheila O’Meara
Rubén Blades…Edwin Diaz
Treat Williams…Billy Burke
George Hearn…Peter Fitzsimmons
Mitch Ryan…Chief Jim Kelly (as Mitchell Ryan)
Natascha McElhone…Megan Doherty
Paul Ronan…Sean Phelan
Simon Jones…Harry Sloan
Julia Stiles…Bridget O’Meara

Filming Locations:
Baruch College, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Boken Studio, Stage 513, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (studio)
Brooklyn Armory, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA (studio)
Chelsea Pier, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (studio)
Clogherhead, County Louth, Ireland
Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
Fontbonne Hall Academy, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Greenport, Long Island, New York, USA
Holbrook, Long Island, New York, USA
Hunter College, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Irvington, New York, USA
Isham Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Kaufman Astoria Studios – 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA (studio)
Montclair, New Jersey, USA
New York City, New York, USA
Newark Liberty International Airport – 10 Toler Place, Newark, New Jersey, USA
Old Town Bar – 45 East 18th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Piper’s Kilt Bar, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Shore Road off the Belt Parkway, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
St. Barnabus Episcopal Church, Irvington, New York, USA
The Cloisters Museum, West 193rd Street, Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Waverly Coffee Shop – 11 Waverly Place, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Wollman Ice Skating Rink, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Synopsis:
One of top Northern Ireland IRA terrorists, Frankie McGuire, escapes to NY, where he, under the name of Rory Devaney, with support of friendly judge Peter Fitzsimmons, lives in the house of Irish cop Tom O’Meara, who doesn’t know who Frankie really is. Rory tries to buy some weapons from dealer Billy Burke, while Tom has moral problems covering up his partner cop Edwin Diaz. The problems arise when Tom begins to suspect something about Rory’s identity

Trivia & Facts:
Brad Pitt wanted to leave the production, but was threatened by a lawsuit. In the February 2, 1997, issue of Newsweek, Pitt called the film a “disaster”, and said that “it was the most irresponsible bit of filmmaking – if you can even call it that – that I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t believe it”. Rumors of fighting on the set (especially over which star would be the focus of the film) plagued the production. The original script was discarded and there were at least seven subsequent rewrites. Pitt said the final version was “a mess”. “The script that I had loved was gone,” he said. “I guess people just had different visions and you can’t argue with that. But then I wanted out and the studio head said, ‘All right, we’ll let you out, but it’ll be $63 million for starters.”‘

Alan J. Pakula’s final directed film.

Screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen was one of the original writers but was never credited.

Average Shot Length = ~4.8 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~4.6 seconds.

From the gallery

Quotes
[Referring to the men who shot Rory’s father]
Tom O’Meara: Did they catch the fuckers?
Rory: They were the fuckers.

Rory: You’re a stupid man, Mr. Burke. You only see me standing between you and your money.
You’re forgetting about the thousand men standing behind me. That’s a mistake.

Tom O’Meara: What’s the money for? I was thinkin’ guns. I was thinkin’ IRA.

Rory: I need that money Tom!
Tom O’Meara: Why? So other eight-year-olds can watch their fathers gunned down in front of ’em?
If this money leaves here, more people will die. Can you tell me that won’t happen?

[Looking at a dilapidated boat]
Rory: Here it is: the Irish Republican Navy.

Rory: All the same, Mr. Fitzsimmoms, if you’re not confused, you don’t know what’s goin’ on.

Rory: They say the word peace, but at the end of the day, all they want is surrender.

Rory: Don’t look for a happy ending. It’s not an American story. It’s an Irish one.

Annie O’Meara: Rory, are you married?
Rory: No.
Annie O’Meara: You marry me?
Rory: [laughs] I’ll have to ask your dad first.

External Links
Official website
IMDB

SB Store (US)
The Devil’s Own (DVD)
The Devil’s Own (Blu-ray)
The Devil’s Own: A Novel (Book)

SB Store (UK)
Devil’s Own (DVD)
Devil’s Own (Blu-ray)