The real Michael Collins was a murderous, degenerate thug that used tactics that would make the Islamists in Iraq blush. Make no mistake about it he was no freedom fighter as this movie would have you believe, but rather a bloody terrorist with no regard to human life. It sickens me that the British must be unfairly vilified as means to justify his characters actions. DO NOT BELIEVE THIS FILMS LIES!
I got to say after reading some of these posts, it was not who single handedly saved Europe in the forties, we have a lot to thank the Soviets for, there sacrifices were much greater, and if Hitler had not been waging a 2 front war, it would have been nigh on impossible to penetrate the Atlantic Wall in 1944, without America we would not be speaking German, Hitler would never have been able to fully occupy britain, occupation never works, if we had been forced out of WW2 I reckon the Iron Curtains border would be in the English Channel and not Germany, the Russians would have probably wanted what the The Nazis had in the early 40's.
As for Michael Collins, as an Englishman, I do have a but respect for him, fighting for what he bleieved in, his homeland, I am a patriot myself and would like to think I would step ip and fight those oppressing me and my family, Collins was a military genius imo whobdid what he had to to rid his home of his British Rulers
I love Britain, its people and amazing history. (Am a Yank, by the way.)
But I generally don't readily accept "history" as related by Britons -- on certain subjects, that is -- without undertaking significant research first.
Look at what they did to Napoleon... 200+ years of propaganda to slag him as some kind of rapacious, warmongering midget.
Britain (under Pitt the Younger) willfully violated the Treaty of Amiens -- categorically refusing to vacate Malta, which the treaty clearly stipulated must happen -- and declared war on France, plunging Europe back into war.
'Michael Collins' propaganda? Then I'd have to say all the films I have on American independence have that same designation. Collin's fight was no different than Washington's et al. When somebody gets physical and keeps pushing you around and they don't listen well somebody has to do something. The Brits can be stubborn you know well just like the Americans and the Irish and the Welsh and the Scots.
All I can add is that I enjoyed watching the "vile propaganda".
Don't take it personally Hitcher. No one, British nor Irish, can be blamed for the sins of their fathers. It's just history and if the kids are smart, they'll learn from it.