When you think about it (if you've read the book) this story is similar to that of George Orwell's "1984": When someone dies their indenity is deleted, the main character is a fugitive and is on the run from the British. I(being English) thought that Jeremy Northam's portrayal of Jack Devlin was a little over the top. If he had shot Bullock's character in the first scene his plan would have worked!
