You're left wondering how many people over the years have been through the legal system in the UK and have been framed by those we place the ultimate trust within. It really does shake your confidence in a system and the people responsible for implementing it. Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite bring this story to life with two magnificent performances and allow you to forgive those slight variations that misalign with actual events.
In the Name of the Father
1993
Action / Biography / Crime / Drama / History
In the Name of the Father
1993
Action / Biography / Crime / Drama / History
Plot summary
Young Belfastian Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) admits that he was in London at the time of the incident. He also admits that he is not a model citizen, having committed a petty robbery while in London. He does however profess his innocence when it comes to the bombing of the Guildford Pub in London in 1974, the event which killed several people inside. A self-professed non-political person, he and his three co-accused, dubbed the Guildford Four, are thought to be provisional members of the I.R.A. Their self-professed innocence is despite each having signed a statement of guilt which they claim were signed under duress. Their case includes having provable alibis for the time frame of the bombing. And eventually, Joe McAndrew (Don Baker),a known I.R.A. member, admits to the bombing. Dubbed the Maguire Seven, seven others, primarily members of Gerry's extended family including his father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite),are accused of being accessories to the bombing. Following on the work initiated by Giuseppe, Gerry works on a campaign to prove their collective innocence, this work with the assistance of compassionate lawyer Gareth Peirce (Dame Emma Thompson). As Gareth works on this campaign, she is faced with obstacle after obstacle placed by Robert Dixon (Corin Redgrave),who led the initial investigation and questioning of the four accused on behalf of the Police.
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Guilty Until Proven Innocent...
Very moving and exceptionally well acted
In the Name of the Father... what a fine movie! This is a movie that really moved me and continues to do so. It has a stirring story, that carries a great dramatic punch, it is beautifully directed by Jim Sheridan and while a little over two hours it never bored me. The script is lovingly balanced, the film looks beautiful and the emotional punch is definitely there. I loved the acting best of all though. Daniel Day Lewis is highly impressive as Conlon, and while I have seen a few reviews saying Emma Thompson was miscast I thought her performance was fine, if anything I would have liked to have seen more of her. For me, Pete Postlethwaite gives the best performance, he is brilliant as the bemused and hapless father, and if there is a film or role he should be remembered for it is this one. Overall, a perhaps controversial but engaging, moving and wonderfully acted movie. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Well worth seeing...but I'd sure love to see a follow-up
I am not British nor am I Irish. And, as far as 'the troubles' go, I don't have a very strong opinion one way or another. A lot of crazy stuff went on for so long and there's so much guilt, it's hard to take a side--though I sure hate the idea of terrorism. So, I am not a person with a dog in the fight, so to speak. I just thought I'd mention this so you don't think I had a particular stake in the film.
The film is the story of Gerry Conlon, though it also affected his father, the rest of his family and some friends. Back during the heyday of IRA terrorism in the 1970s, the British were obviously very frustrated and were willing to go to some extreme methods to stop it--even if it meant suspending traditional constitutional rights. This is understandable but troubling. But what goes WAY beyond troubling were the methods used by the prosecutors and police to convict a group of people for a bombing--even when it turned out that they knew that the people were probably innocent! The film is essentially a showcase for Daniel Day-Lewis to show off his acting skills. However, the film also had lovely direction and was a first-class project all around. Well worth seeing--and there's a good chance this film might make you feel a little mad.