Peace at a Price  Taking on the subject of the Irish Troubles,
Titanic Town runs into some troubles of its own  Whatever one
might believe about the past centuries of English oppression of
the Irish, one thing is sure: No matter how raw a deal they've
gotten in real life, the Irish haven't been shortchanged on the
screen. From the Easter Rising to the more recent Troubles, the
conflict has been a film staple, with sympathies heavily, though
not universally, aligned on the side of the Irish. In the Name
of the Father is one of the best examples of the predominant
trend; Patriot Games, with its supernaturally relentless and
vicious IRA villains, falls at the other end of the spectrum.
Titanic Town, a 1998 production only now reaching American
theaters, presents yet another view of the Troubles. (The film's
title is unfortunate, suggesting a lame attempt to capitalize on
that other Titanic film: In one brief, awkward scene, a
character explains that "this is where the great ship was built
by poor Irish laborers