Shadow Dancer

Shadow Dancer is set in Belfast in the 1990s, during the later years of the Troubles. Colette McVeigh, whose brother was killed by British security forces, has followed her family into the republican movement. When she is caught in London during a failed bombing attempt, an MI5 officer named Mac offers her a choice: go to prison and lose years with her young son, or return home and inform on her own family and neighbours. Her decision places her under constant suspicion from those closest to her, and the film follows the strain of living between two sides.

James Marsh directed the thriller, working from a screenplay by Tom Bradby. It was Marsh's fourth feature, arriving between Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 and The Theory of Everything. Andrea Riseborough plays Colette, with Clive Owen as Mac, Gillian Anderson as Kate Fletcher, and Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson and Brid Brennan among the supporting cast of 35 credited performers. The production was a British, Irish and French co-production made for about 6 million dollars, and its worldwide box office return was considerably smaller.

Critics rated the film 7 out of 10 across 89 reviews, a more favourable response than the 5.9 out of 10 it holds on TMDB from 288 votes, and it also sits below the audience score on IMDb. The gap suggests a film appreciated more for its craft and performances than broadly embraced by general viewers.