Riley (Thomas Kavanagh) as a traitor to the cause before the final showdown which has the Ballys attacking an abandoned castle ruin defended by the Carricks. The Carricks lose, and, taken prisoner, Geronimo himself cuts off his buttons and gives them to Fergus. While the Ballys celebrate in their headquarters, Geronimo, driving Riley's father's tractor like a tank, levels the Bally clubhouse. This puts a bitter end to the War of the Buttons. Finally fed up, the towns' adults, including Geronimo's father (Colm Meaney) and Fergus' abusive stepfather (Jim Bartley), reclaim their children. Fergus runs off to the mountains, where Geronimo follows him in an unspoken gesture of solidarity. After being captured, the two boys are put in the church orphanage, where they put aside their differences and become best friends. Marie narrates the coda, expressing that she married one of the boys, and that the other became the couple's closest friend, but she does not reveal whom she chose to wed. Cast Liam Cunningham Gregg Fitzgerald Colm Meaney Background The film's story is based on the novel La Guerre des boutons, written by Louis Pergaud and published in 1912. Pergaud's popular book has been reprinted more than 30 times. It has been adapted as film for the first time in the French productions La Guerre des gosses (1936) (fr) and La Guerre des boutons (War of the Buttons, 1962), the latter a black and white film directed by Yves Robert. The Irish screenplay was written by Colin Welland and the movie was directed by John Roberts. The producer David Puttnam and Welland had worked earlier on the Academy Award-winning Chariots of Fire. This was their second film together. The movie starred a young Alan Maguire, the actor from Corofin, Co. Clare. During the same week in September 2011, two new French film adaptations of the novel were released: War of the Buttons, directed by Yann Samuell, set in the 1950s with the Algerian War as backdrop, and War of the Buttons, directed by Christophe Barratier and set during World War II in Occupied France. References External links 1994 films 1994 comedy-drama films Irish comedy-drama films 1990s English-language films Films based on French novels Films shot in the Republic of Ireland Films produced by David Puttnam Films scored by Rachel Portman British remakes of French films British comedy-drama films 1994 directorial debut films 1990s British films