Shake Hands with the Devil (1959 film)

Shake Hands with the Devil
Directed byMichael Anderson
Written byIvan Goff
Ben Roberts
Story byMarian Spitzer
Based onShake Hands with the Devil
(1933 novel)
by Rearden Conner
Produced byMichael Anderson
StarringJames Cagney
Don Murray
Dana Wynter
Glynis Johns
CinematographyErwin Hillier
Edited byGordon Pilkington
Music byWilliam Alwyn
Production
companies
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
  • 21 May 1959 (1959-05-21) (Dublin)
  • 24 June 1959 (1959-06-24) (U.S.)
Running time
111 minutes
Country
    • United States
    • Ireland
    • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million or £600,000

Shake Hands with the Devil is a 1959 war drama-thriller film produced and directed by Michael Anderson and starring James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, and Glynis Johns, and features supporting roles by Michael Redgrave, Sybil Thorndike, Cyril Cusack, and Richard Harris. The film follows a group of Irish Republican Army (IRA) fighters in Dublin during the War of Independence. The screenplay by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts is based on the 1933 novel by Rearden Conner, the son of a Royal Irish Constabulary policeman.

An international co-production between the United States, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom, the film was shot on-location in Dublin and at Ardmore Studios. It premiered in Dublin on May 21, 1959, and was released by United Artists on June 24. It received positive reviews from critics.