10 Awesome War Movies About Obscure Conflicts

Featuring a career-best performance from Michael Fassbender, Steve McQueen’s debut film Hunger is an extraordinary portrait of the 1981 IRA hunger strike during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. For many people in Britain, this conflict remains difficult to address today; Hunger tells a vital part of that history with intelligence, compassion and unparalleled visual flair.

It's broken up into three sections, broadly speaking. The first third is a harsh portrait of prison life in The Maze, that is, Long Kesh internment prison in Belfast. It's bleak and uncompromising: the dirty protest is shown in all of its filth; there's a chaotic, terrifying riot; even some of the prison guards are haunted by the violence.

The other two parts are much more meditative. There's an extraordinary dialogue, shot as one long take, in which Bobby Sands (Fassbender) explains his rationale for the hunger strike to a priest (Liam Cunningham), and it's one of the best bits of screen acting out there. The final section, in which Sands slowly starves to death, is realised with painful authenticity, and it contains some beautiful imagery amongst the darkness.

The film focuses on the human dimension of conflict imprisonment, and it's a tough watch. But it's definitely recommended for the unforgettable performances, McQueen's stark visual style, and its intense, unconventional approach to the conflict in Northern Ireland.