A Further Gesture, aka The Break (1996)

from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

It's a thriller about an IRA operative who escapes from a Belfast prison and makes his way to the USA with false documents.

He fully intends to stay out of terrorism, but he finds that life without a real ID is difficult. He works as a dishwasher and lives in a seedy hotel, and he's learning how to live with it when he interferes in a domestic dispute among druggies. He wins the fight against the guy, but the woman stabs him after he helps her!

Now what? If he goes to a hospital, they find out who he is and send him back to jail. If he stays, he dies.

He is accidentally found by one of his fellow dishwashers who had to cover his shift. That man and his Guatemalan friends and family nurse the Irishman back to life, and he ends up involved in their lives which, by the most unbelievable of coincidences, involves terrorism.

Setting that unlikely plot twist aside, it has a good atmospheric presentation, a really unexpected surprise ending, and an excellent performance from that infinitely world-weary Irish actor, Stephen Rea (The Crying Game).

If you like light-hearted entertainment, this is not for you, but if you enjoy a look at the grittier side of life, it's worth a rental. As of this moment, it is a Blockbuster exclusive. There is no DVD. The VHS is not available for rent elsewhere, and not available for sale anywhere.

Rosana Pastor, an actress who normally acts in Spanish, was the co-star, and was briefly topless.

IMDB summary: 6.0 out of 10.