this film be really quite odd . clearly certain event portray identify the main protagonist a the dublin criminal know a the general but almost everything else be just wrong . we be not talk of a distortion of ancient history . but a complete distortion of irrefutable and documented fact . the question indeed be why . the garda be show a latter day keystone cop and his gang a non menacing and and the man himself a . well kevin spacey . almost pure fiction anyway and why bother to try to give a semblance of realism . have say all that and it be a poor exercise any way you want to look at it . not worth a second of anyone time .