Shake Hands with the Devil Poster

Shake Hands with the Devil (1959)

NR 06/24/1959 Action, Drama 1h 51m
65%
User
Score
7.0/10

A story of love and hate...and the sudden sound of guns!

Overview

In 1921 Dublin, the IRA battles the "Black & Tans," special British forces given to harsh measures. Irish-American medical student Kerry O'Shea hopes to stay aloof, but saving a wounded friend gets him outlawed, and inexorably drawn into the rebel organization...under his former professor Sean Lenihan, who has "shaken hands with the devil" and begun to think of fighting as an end in itself. Complications arise when Kerry falls for a beautiful English hostage, and the British offer a peace treaty that is not enough to satisfy Lenihan.

Michael Anderson

Director

Ben Roberts

Writer

Ivan Goff

Writer

Top Billed Cast

James Cagney

James Cagney

Sean Lenihan

Don Murray

Don Murray

Kerry O'Shea

Dana Wynter

Dana Wynter

Jennifer Curtis

Glynis Johns

Glynis Johns

Kitty Brady

Michael Redgrave

Michael Redgrave

The General

Sybil Thorndike

Sybil Thorndike

Lady Fitzhugh

Cyril Cusack

Cyril Cusack

Chris Noonan

Marianne Benet

Marianne Benet

Mary Madigan

John Breslin

John Breslin

Timmy McGrath

Full Cast & Crew →

Media

Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) Original Trailer [FHD]

Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) Original Trailer [FHD]

Backdrop
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Reviews

A review by John Chard

Written on September 24, 2015

Loaded Weapon.

Shake Hands with the Devil is directed by Michael Anderson and adapted to screenplay by Marian Spitzer from the novel written by Rearden Conner. It stars James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns, Michael Redgrave and Sybil Thorndike. Music is by William Alywyn and cinematography by Erwin Hillier.

It's 1920s Dublin, Ireland, and the Irish Republican Army are at war with the British Black & Tans. Into the conflict comes Irish American Kerry O'Shea (Murray), who in spite of being apolitical is drawn into darker waters as the violence rages. Complications arise when a hostage situation unfurls, all while the strings are being pulled by the IRA's fearsome commandant, Sean Lenihan (Cagney), who wants Kerry under his wing.

It has always been a tricky subject to ...

Read the full review on TMDb →

A review by CinemaSerf

Written on May 4, 2024

I wonder whether an appreciation of this film depends on whether you are British or Irish? What it depicts, for me anyway, is the old adage that "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" and James Cagney ("Lenihan") manages to encapsulate that succinctly. His character, a respected professor with republican leanings, recruits "O'Shea" (Don Murray) after one of his friends is shot by one of the infamous "Black 'n Tans" and the film tracks his ensuing involvement with the 1921 revolution. The story follows a simplified line as regards to the actual nature of historical fact, but it does touch on the complications and perils faced by people on both sides of the argument well. Cagney is convincing, as - oddly enough, is Michael Redgrave as the "General" (AKA Michael Collins) - far...

Read the full review on TMDb →
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