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Shake Hands with the Devil (2007) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Shake Hands with the Devil (2007) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2007 · 112 mins · English
Directed by
Roger Spottiswoode
Starring
Deborah Kara Unger, James Gallanders, Akin Omotoso, John Matshikiza, Patrice Faye, Jean-Hugues Anglade

In 1993 the UN sent Canadian Lieutenant General Roméo Dallaire to command UNAMIR, the peacekeeping force in Rwanda tasked with enforcing a cease‑fire. Facing underfunded resources, bureaucratic inertia and a many‑nation force with conflicting mandates, Dallaire fights to halt the genocide despite the indifference of his superiors and global community.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (4)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like Shake Hands with the Devil
  8. 8 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Shake Hands with the Devil (2007)

Where can you watch Shake Hands with the Devil? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Fawesome, Plex and Tubi TV: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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4 main characters · contains spoilers

Shake Hands with the Devil Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Shake Hands with the Devil (2007), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Kerry O'Shea

    An apolitical medical student drawn into the Irish conflict after a violent ambush. He grapples with his duty as a healer and his reluctance to take sides, only to be pulled deeper as he treats wounded combatants and navigates a complex political romance.

    • 🧭 Protagonist
    • 💔 Moral conflict
  • Kitty Brady

    A local barmaid entangled with the IRA unit whose loyalties and choices become entwined with Lenihan's plans. Her involvement exposes the personal risks of the conflict and leads to a pivotal, tragic turn.

    • 💌 Romance
    • 💔 Tragedy
  • Sean Lenihan

    A high-ranking IRA leader known as the Commandant, whose charisma and uncompromising stance push operations and kidnappings. His dedication to the cause drives brutal decisions that test loyalty and morality.

    • 🔥 Leader
    • ⚖️ Extremism
  • Colonel Smithson

    A brutal officer of the British Black and Tans who represents the oppressive forces opposing the IRA. His enforcement methods and willingness to instill fear underscore the film's critique of wartime cruelty.

    • 🛡️ Oppression
    • ⚔️ Brutality

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:37

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Setting

Where and When Does Shake Hands with the Devil Take Place?

The setting of Shake Hands with the Devil (2007): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

1921

The story unfolds in 1921 Dublin, during the Irish War of Independence. Guerrilla warfare, prison rescues, and reprisals define the tempo of everyday life, while leaders maneuver for a peace that may not fully satisfy all sides. The period is marked by political pressure, uneasy negotiations, and the looming possibility of a treaty that could redraw loyalties.

Location

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin in 1921 is a city at the heart of the Irish War of Independence, where guerrilla ambushes, political tensions, and British patrols collide with daily life. The landscape shifts between crowded pubs, sea-front hideouts by the coast, and tense dockyards where exchanges and raids unfold. The city’s academic world—embodied by the College of Surgeons—persists alongside the brutal reality of conflict, shaping the characters' choices and fates.

  • 🏙️ City
  • ⚔️ War-torn
  • 🌊 Coastal
  • 🕰️ 20th Century

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:37

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3 major themes

Shake Hands with the Devil Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Shake Hands with the Devil (2007) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Moral Dilemma

    The film centers on a medical student pulled into a violent struggle, forced to balance healing duties with the pull of political allegiance. Each ambush, capture, and interrogation tests his ethics and sense of innocence. As violence escalates, the line between right and wrong becomes increasingly blurred.

  • Loyalty Betrayal

    Loyalty to friends, lovers, and a cause collides as leadership and orders clash with personal reluctance. Relationships are strained by danger, suspicion, and the pressure to choose sides. Betrayals and difficult choices culminate in consequences that reverberate beyond the individuals involved.

  • Human Cost

    The human toll is shown not only in battles but in the personal costs—fear, hunger strikes, prisoner exchanges, and the deaths that punctuate the pursuit of peace. Civilians become casualties of a broader political conflict. The narrative emphasizes how ordinary lives bear the weight of strategic decisions.

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:37

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Character & theme questions

Shake Hands with the Devil Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Shake Hands with the Devil (2007): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the story set?

The story is set in Dublin, Ireland, during the Irish War of Independence in 1921. The setting shifts between crowded pubs, coastal sea-front hideouts, tense dockyards, and the academic world of the College of Surgeons, all while guerrilla warfare and British patrols dominate daily life.

Foreshadowing: The contrast between the city's academic institutions and the brutal conflict foreshadows the protagonist's struggle between healing and fighting.

  • dublin
  • ireland
  • setting
  • 1921
  • war-torn city
Q2

What time period does the movie cover?

The movie takes place in 1921 during the Irish War of Independence, a period marked by guerrilla warfare, prison rescues, political negotiations, and the looming possibility of a treaty that would reshape Irish-British relations.

Foreshadowing: The mention of negotiations and a treaty early in the narrative hints at the eventual resolution but also the personal costs that will follow.

  • 1921
  • irish war of independence
  • time period
  • historical era
Q3

What are the main themes of the movie?

The movie explores three interconnected themes: Moral Dilemma, where a medical student must balance healing duties with political allegiance; Loyalty and Betrayal, as relationships strain under the pressure to choose sides; and the Human Cost of conflict, showing how ordinary civilians bear the weight of strategic political decisions.

Foreshadowing: The escalating violence throughout the film gradually erodes the protagonist's neutrality, setting up the thematic payoff.

  • themes
  • moral dilemma
  • loyalty
  • betrayal
  • human cost
Q4

Who is Kerry O'Shea?

Kerry O'Shea is an apolitical medical student who is pulled into the Irish conflict after witnessing a violent ambush. He grapples with his duty as a healer versus his reluctance to take sides, treating wounded combatants while navigating a complex political romance that deepens his entanglement in the struggle.

Foreshadowing: His initial refusal to choose sides establishes the moral tension that will define his character arc.

  • kerry o'shea
  • protagonist
  • medical student
  • healer
Q5

Who is Kitty Brady?

Kitty Brady is a local barmaid who becomes entangled with the IRA unit. Her loyalties and choices become intertwined with Commandant Sean Lenihan's plans, and her involvement exposes the personal risks civilians face, leading to a pivotal and tragic turn in the story.

Foreshadowing: Her romantic entanglement with the IRA creates vulnerability that the narrative will exploit for dramatic impact.

  • kitty brady
  • barmaid
  • ira
  • civilian
  • tragic character
Q6

Who is Sean Lenihan?

Sean Lenihan, known as the Commandant, is a high-ranking IRA leader whose charisma and uncompromising stance drive brutal operations and kidnappings. His dedication to the cause tests the loyalty and morality of those around him, making him a central force in the film's exploration of ideological extremism.

Foreshadowing: His uncompromising nature early in the film establishes the impossible choices other characters will face.

  • sean lenihan
  • commandant
  • ira leader
  • radical
Q7

Who is Colonel Smithson?

Colonel Smithson is a brutal officer of the British Black and Tans who represents the oppressive forces opposing the IRA. His enforcement methods and willingness to instill fear underscore the film's critique of wartime cruelty and serve as the embodiment of the occupation's violence.

Foreshadowing: His introduction establishes the threat that justifies the IRA's desperate measures.

  • colonel smithson
  • black and tans
  • british officer
  • antagonist
Q8

What does the Moral Dilemma theme explore?

The Moral Dilemma theme centers on a medical student pulled into violent struggle, forced to balance his healing duties with the pull of political allegiance. As violence escalates, the line between right and wrong becomes increasingly blurred, testing his ethics and sense of innocence.

Foreshadowing: His medical training establishes his initial commitment to non-violence, which the plot will systematically dismantle.

  • moral dilemma
  • ethics
  • healing
  • violence
  • choice
Q9

How does the Loyalty and Betrayal theme play out?

Loyalty to friends, lovers, and the cause collides as leadership and orders clash with personal reluctance. Relationships are strained by danger, suspicion, and the pressure to choose sides, with betrayals and difficult choices culminating in consequences that reverberate beyond the individuals involved.

Foreshadowing: The increasing pressure to commit to one side foreshadows the betrayals that will define the story's darker moments.

  • loyalty
  • betrayal
  • relationships
  • sacrifice
  • trust
Q10

What is the Human Cost of the conflict?

The human toll is shown not only in battles but in the personal costs, fear, hunger strikes, prisoner exchanges, and deaths that punctuate the pursuit of peace. Civilians become casualties of a broader political conflict, emphasizing how ordinary lives bear the weight of strategic decisions made by leaders.

Foreshadowing: The opening scenes establish the precariousness of civilian life under occupation.

  • human cost
  • civilian casualties
  • war casualties
  • price of peace
Q11

What kind of world does the movie portray?

The movie portrays a war-torn Dublin where daily life collides with guerrilla warfare, political tensions, and British patrols. The city exists in a state of constant tension, where academic pursuits persist alongside brutal conflict, shaping every character's choices and fates.

Foreshadowing: The juxtaposition of normal life with violence establishes the pervasive threat that characters cannot escape.

  • war-torn dublin
  • guerrilla warfare
  • occupied city
  • daily life

Movie threads

More Movies Like Shake Hands with the Devil, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Shake Hands with the Devil tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Futile Peacekeeping Missions like Shake Hands with the Devil

When good intentions are crushed by indifference and systemic failure. If you were moved by the moral struggle in Shake Hands with the Devil, this thread features movies about peacekeepers and aid workers caught in impossible situations. These similar drama and history films explore the heavy toll of trying to do good when the world seems indifferent.

  • somber
  • frustrating
  • tense
  • hopeless
  • gritty
  • anxious
  • Tone: tense, somber, frustrating
  • Pacing: steady, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a principled protagonist attempting to prevent a catastrophe, armed with limited resources and a fragile mandate. The central conflict arises not just from the external threat, but from the indifference or obstruction of their own superiors and the international community, leading to a race against time where failure is a grim certainty.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared focus on the crushing weight of responsibility in the face of systemic failure. They create a specific, tense, and somber mood where the enemy is often as much red tape and political cowardice as it is overt violence.

War Movies with Heavy Moral Dilemmas like Shake Hands with the Devil

Characters forced into impossible decisions that leave lasting scars. For viewers who appreciated the complex moral choices in Shake Hands with the Devil, this thread highlights similar military and political dramas. Discover movies like it that explore betrayal, forced allegiance, and the bittersweet cost of survival in morally complex war settings.

  • somber
  • gritty
  • anxious
  • brutal
  • hopeless
  • moral dilemma
  • Tone: gritty, tense, bittersweet
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow a character's journey into the ethical ambiguities of conflict. The plot forces them to compromise their ideals, confront betrayal from within their own ranks, or make a devastating personal sacrifice. The arc is less about winning and more about the pyrrhic cost of survival, leading to a bittersweet or bleak resolution.

Why they belong together: These films share a core thematic focus on the erosion of morality during war. They are united by a heavy emotional weight, a tense and gritty atmosphere, and a narrative structure that prioritizes the psychological cost of violence over simple heroism.

If you liked this

Movies Like Shake Hands with the Devil

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Every angle

Shake Hands with the Devil (2007) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Shake Hands with the Devil in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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