The year 2002 was a fascinating one in Irish football, and for the country as a whole. The Celtic Tiger was still roaring as the economy went from strength to strength and while the spectre of The Troubles still loomed large over the North, with the Good Friday Agreement in place it was, theoretically, a time of healing and a time of prosperity. On the football pitch, the Republic of Ireland had battled to their first World Cup in twelve years, and hopes were high that the boys in green would make their country proud. However, off the pitch a different battle was raging, one between manager and captain that would erupt in the most volatile and unprecedented ways possible, dividing Irish football fans and affecting the very fabric of the nation’s consciousness forever.
Saipan follows the story of The Republic of Ireland’s preparations for the 2002 World Cup, as they acclimatized on the tiny island of Saipan ahead of the tournament co-hosted by Japan and South Korea. There had been media attention and years of tension between manager Mick McCarthy and captain Roy Keane, arguably the only truly world class player in the team at the time. With a nation holding its breathe, a tinderbox had been created, and sure enough tensions rose until the inevitable explosion that rocked the footballing world.
Saipan is very clearly the story of two men and their opposing philosophies that caused significant friction, despite the two sharing the same goal. It’s impossible to begin to discuss the film as a whole without landing on the two enormous performances that characterize the film. Éanna Hardwicke is mesmerizing from the kick off as the complicated Keane, cold and professional but also torn between his love for his country and the impossibly high standards of expectation he placed on himself and his teammates. There’s a dry, with and a sadness in the eyes that really captures Keane in a way that feels almost unbelievable. In contrast, Steve Coogan, ever the chameleon, becomes Mick McCarthy, with his Yorkshire lilt and mannerisms down to a tea. What is interesting is that both men provide incredible performances, but without ever imitating or impersonating their real-life counterparts. It’s a testament both to the acting and the film itself that Coogan and Hardwicke fundamentally transform into McCarthy and Keane seamlessly, and the audience begins to watch as though it was the people in question, which is surely the sign of a great biopic.
It would have been easy to sensationalise the events that took place in Saipan, but aside from a few small creative liberties (necessities for the sake of storytelling in this case) it feels as though the directors, Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, found a way to present a very even handed narrative that doesn’t necessarily pass judgement on who was right or wrong in the case of Keane and McCarthy, but more the fragility of the relationships between coach and player and what lingering, festering tension from years before can do to poison those relationships. That they were able to do so, while also creating a beautifully shot film that accurately captures the tone and tenor of the moods both within the camp and or the Irish nation is extraordinary.
Saipan is not all doom and gloom either, there is a wry, very Irish humour to proceedings that helps lift everything. There are certainly specific characters who are designed to provide levity, like Dickie for example, who is a clear amalgamation of a number of inept, incompetent FAI employees, and who in many ways provides the real villain of the piece, and something which really offsets what could have been a very heavy, somewhat combative subject matter even more than two decades later.
Saipan is a tremendous time capsule for one of the most infamous moments in Irish football history. Éanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan are nothing short of spectacular and the film is gripping, affecting and oddly uplifting due to the major hit of nostalgia it provides, while also diving deep into a series of events that created the biggest sliding doors moment in modern football. A genuinely stunning piece of work, and a must-see for football fans and non-football fans alike.
Saipan is released in UK cinemas on 23 January
