Naming the names in 'Veronica Guerin'

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Gerad McSorley, Ciaran Hinds, Brenda Fricker, Paudge Behan, Barry Barnes

Cert: 15.

We know a great deal about the life and tragic death of Dublin investigative journalist, Veronica Guerin, but if this powerful bio of her tells us nothing new it is still a story told with honesty and clarity.

And as the central character, who doggedly fought the city's drug lords and died in her car at the hands of a motor-cyclist who drew up alongside her at traffic lights and pumped her with bullets, Blanchett, a fine Australian actress, is outstanding, capturing all of Guerin's strengths and weaknesses.

What gives the film its edge is the fact that Schumacher, bravely, tells the story as it was, and is not afraid to actually name the names of those involved in the story, and the killing.

Dublin is an awful city for its drug problem, and for its strutting criminals who run it.

Guerin never stopped combating them, often recklessly (and Schumacher is not afraid to show this side of her), while, too often, her colleagues treated her relentless campaigns with a scoffing indifference and cynicism. Journalism does not come out of the film with much credit.

This, then, is a film to make you think - and the authorities to blush - without adding to our understanding of how it could have come about.

Star Rating: 4/5