Ben Kingsley is a secret informer

Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingley is playing an Irish Republican Army informer in an action thriller titled Fifty Dead Men Walking. The movie also stars Jim Sturgess and Rose McGowan in the lead.

Directed by Kari Skogland, the movie will see the Gandhi actor portray the true life character of Martin McGartland, who is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) informer. 

McGartland joined IRA to pass information to British security forces.

When Martin was discovered to be an informer, he escaped from IRA and resettled in England.

His identity became known after a minor court case and he was shot six times in his house by two men but he recovered from his injuries.

After that he had written two books Fifty Dead Men Walking: The Terrifying True Story of a Secret Agent inside the IRA and Dead Man Running both based on his life. The BBC also made a documentary on him.

The film is completely about his shockingly true real life story and adapts the screenplay from his 1999 book Fifty Dead Men Walking about his time as an informer.

The title of the book indicates the number of lives Martin considers he saved through his activities.

Jim Sturgess, who has also acted in Sony Pictures’ film 21 confirms: “I just finished Fifty Dead Men Walking which is with Sir Ben Kingsley.

“And it’s about a child growing up in the troubles of the IRA back in the 1980s.”

The British production’s working title is Man on the Run and has been shot extensively in Northern Ireland and England.

The film is scheduled to open in England in October this year
.g_prithwish@dnaindia.net