In the Name of the Father

What makes this story so compelling is that it is true. Conlon really did serve 15 years in a British prison for a crime he did not commit. His conviction was finally overturned in 1989, upon the revelation that evidence which proved his innocence was deliberately withheld by the government.

This film shows several chilling scenes where Conlon is psychologically and physically abused until he finally breaks down and confesses to the crime. He, along with the others, is then sentenced to a long prison term. As the presiding judge tells him, "I only wish I could sentence you to death."

After Gonlon and his father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite) enter prison in when the film's best moments come. The way that the relationship between father and son grows and matures is a pleasure to watch. This is one of the most compelling and moving displays of father/son love that I have ever seen in a film. The acting by these two men is nothing short of brilliant.

Emma Thompson is also quite effective as the English defense attorney who works for their release. This is just another entry in a seemingly endless string of excellent performances by this gifted actress. She is an amazing talent.

Much was made when this film was first released of the liberties that writer-director Jim Sheridan took with the actual facts of the case. That may well be true, but for the purposes of the film it is not really relevant. This is not a documentary or journalistic report, and the facts are close enough. It is a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging film.


Strange and difficult, but emotionally deep.   October 7, 2002
D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA)
13 out of 16 found this review helpful

I must admit, I encountered a major stumbling block in trying to watch this movie. All I can say is if you have as much trouble understanding heavy Irish accents as I do, watching a subtitled edition of this film might be a good idea.

That's my problem, though, not the film's. In the Name of the Father isn't quite as dead serious as its cover suggests. While its soaring emotional peaks are just phenomenally powerful and its messages ring clear and true, the film also contains enough offbeat humour to make it a well-rounded experience.

Daniel Day-Lewis gives a searing performance as Gerry Conlon, an Irish drifter wrongly accused of terrorism and imprisoned, a victim of a police conspiracy. Day-Lewis, an Oscar-winning actor who has done only five films in the '90s, gives his signature dedication, enormous charisma, and sense of humour to the role, and he is no less than amazing in any given scene. Pete Postlethwaite rises to the challenge as Conlon's father Guiseppe, a complete opposite to the deliciously diabolical turn he gave in The Usual Suspects. Here Postlethwaite is warm, complex, and painfully human, with all the strengths and vulnerabilities attached. And director Jim Sheridan's narrative voice is highly eccentric but engaging; the film moves in lurches and spurts, often with major plot points occuring very suddenly. Strangely enough, I was never lost. And Emma Thompson's work, when it finally surfaces (her character is mostly relegated to the last third of the film), is terrific as well, helping to anchor the final developments in the story.

One of my favourite points about this film is that, while it vilifies the British characters, it also does not scorn to show their side of the story. The opening scene of the bombing grounds our awareness in the fact that, despite their incredibly brutal and unjust tactics, the police are simply crumbling under the pressure and trying to hide their folly, not plotting for the destruction of our central characters. Such moral complexities help enrich the thematic elements of the film, always a desireable thing when it comes to politically charged material such as this.

You'll need to be patient with this film to enjoy it -- because of its two-hour-plus running length, the dense, accented dialogue, and idiosyncratic narrative approach -- but I am sure you will find it an emotionally resonant and relevant film, as I have.


A brilliant, yet harrowing film   November 23, 2000
Mike Powers (Boothbay, ME United States)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

"In the Name of the Father" is a brilliant and controversial movie which examines in some detail the case of the Guildford Four, and especially the case of Gerry and Giuseppe Conlon, who were wrongly convicted of bombing a pub in the town of Guildford, England, on October 5, 1974. This bombing, which took the lives of several innocent victims, was alleged to be part of an ongoing Irish Republican Army (IRA) campaign of terror that year. The convictions of the Guildford Four, it was later proved, were based on forced confessions, perjured testimony, and - at best - extremely scanty and questionable forensic evidence.

"In the Name of the Father" is a brilliant film on all levels. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in a tough, gritty, and realistic performance as the irrepressible Gerry Conlon - perhaps one of Day-Lewis' least known, but best movie performances ever. Pete Postlethwaite is magnificent as the gentle Giuseppe Conlon, who is the film's ultimate victim. And Emma Thompson rises to her usual level of brilliant acting as the tough-minded but emotional lawyer, Gareth Peirce.

This movie does not pretend at any point to be an objective examination of the Guildford Four case. It is a strong advocate for the innocence of the people involved, and an unsparing critic of the British legal and penal systems. Some of the points made in the film border on the hyperbolic - for example, the interjection of the fictional IRA terrorist "Joe McAndrew," to press home the point that the British government knew of the Guildford Four's innocence, but, fearing a loss of confidence by the British public, chose to ignore evidence which exonerated them. Still, the film does not suffer any loss of credibility by so blatantly taking sides in such a politically and emotionally charged issue.

This is one of those rare films which does three things very well. First: it entertains. This is a dramatic and exciting story, replete with wonderfully realistic characters that are easy to understand and relate to. Second: "In the Name of the Father" educates. Very seldom have I learned more about a particular time or set of circumstances than I have from this film. (I must note at this point that I was living in England in 1989 when this case came to a head. I followed news accounts of it with great interest.) Third: the movie persuades. It is both a scathing criticism of a legal and penal system gone awry, and an apt description of what can happen when a democratic system becomes afraid of its own people. At the same time, it's a wonderfully inspiring testimony to the ultimate strength of the human spirit in times when all seems nearly lost.


FIND A DULL MOMENT IN THIS TERRIFIC DRAMA!   March 17, 2005
Shashank Tripathi (Gadabout)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

During a spate of IRA-triggered bombings in the early 1970s in the UK, the beleaguered British government created a haphazard "Prevention of Terrorism Act" which allowed the arrest of any individual on the flimsiest of suspicions.

When explosions rocked two pubs in Guildford (London?) a group of four Irish junkies -- Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day Lewis) and three others -- were wrongfully arrested in what we are led to believe was a miscarriage of justice.

The movie is based on Gerry's memoirs, so it cannot be passed off as impeccably "factual" but if some memories have been bent into formulaic shape for entertainment purposes, the truth still remains: these people were not murdering masterminds.

There are really two stories working in the film:

(1) The steamrolling of the "Guildford Four" by the British government; and
(2) The atavistic relationship between Gerry and his father Guiseppe while the two were in prison

Each of these stories would have made a taut and fascinating film by itself, but combined they're an incredible force. Gerry's interrogation is an immemorable moment in cinematic history, including disconcerting scenes of police officials watching the torture in silence.

The film doesn't let up for a moment. The courtroom drama is clearly peripheral to the theme, but it provides some of the film's most nailbiting moments. A few bits in the latter half of the movie may seem a bit redundant (similar things happening over and over again in prison) all that is obscured by the sheer screen presence of Daniel Day Lewis. In fact, the only time you are not riveted by the all-round powerhouse acting is when U2's poignant background score has taken center stage.

An absolute must for fans of political films, and a terrific drama for the rest of us. Highly recommended.