'Saipan': ROI World Cup blockbuster

HEAD= 'Saipan': ROI World Cup blockbuster

THE most notorious incident in the history of Irish international football is depicted in this gripping sports drama.

Documenting the infamous Saipan incident, in which manager Mick McCarthy sent Roy Keane home from preparations for the 2002 World Cup after a furious bust-up with his captain and star player, the film is directed by Glen Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa.

Those familiar with the incident will remember the scorching international headlines generated by it and may be interested to relive those times.

Irish football novices meanwhile will find plenty of enthralling personal intrigue as the film explores the nature of pride, ego and what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

After beating Iran in a two-leg play-off, the Republic of Ireland team qualify for the 2002 World Cup in Korea Japan.

As many pundits note, this is the best Ireland team to ever qualify for the tournament and they are expected to do well, not least due to the presence of captain Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke).

Midfielder Keane, as captain of Manchester United, is already considered one of the best players in the world and a pivotal member of the squad.

Though he sits out the Iran game due to injury, Keane joins up with the rest of the Ireland squad for a training camp in Saipan.

Upon arrival, Keane finds the facilities to be less than satisfactory.

The hotel is mediocre, the catering poor and the training pitch is a bobbly disaster.

To make matters worse, team manager Mick McCarthy informs the squad that due a mix-up, there are no footballs yet available to train with. It doesn’t take long for Keane to grow frustrated with the conditions.

He also begins to criticise McCarthy and his teammates for their attitudes and work ethic.

The tension between the captain and the coach reaches boiling point, leading to the notorious titular confrontation.

If you were an Ireland fan during the 2002 World Cup, your memories of events at Saipan will be vivid.

A cause célèbre that reverberated not just in Ireland but around the globe the fact that, even more than two decades later, it still generates debate is no surprise.

This docudrama takes an astute approach to the furore it tackles, looking at the incident with an objective eye and a wry sense of humour.

The film takes a balanced view of events, sympathising with both Keane and McCarthy’s sides of the story but without choosing a side or attempting to assign blame.

Instead it takes a nuanced approach of depicting a clash between two very different and very big personalities.

The simmering hostility between Keane and McCarthy leads to plenty of tense, dramatic and sharp exchanges before culminating in the clash where their relationship was broken beyond repair.

The two lead actors certainly do their bit to bring what happened to life.

Hardwicke produces what could be a star-making turn as Keane, deftly depicting the footballer’s intense demeanour and demanding approach.

Coogan meanwhile, ever the gifted mimic, avoids simple caricature as McCarthy, portraying the manager as an essentially decent man doing his best under difficult very circumstances.

Saipan is a sharply observed depiction of Irish football’s most famous falling-out.

RATING: ****

Matthew McCaul