A cinematic exercise in meticulous detail has just landed on Irish shores, touting itself as the definitive account of one of the most infamous episodes in Republic of Ireland football history. Glenn Leyburn's and Lisa Barros D'Sa's "Saipan" is a film that's all about getting it right – from the meticulously recreated tracksuits to the painstakingly re-created press conferences.
This level of attention to detail does raise an interesting question, though: what's the point? Why bother recreating every frame of every scene if the actual footage already exists? And yet, the filmmakers seem determined to recreate them, often with admirable accuracy. This becomes particularly evident in the climactic "stick it up your bollocks" tirade, which is reproduced almost verbatim from the original press conference.
However, this meticulous attention to detail raises another question: at what cost? The film's portrayal of Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy's infamous dispute has been widely panned by those who actually witnessed it, with many disputing some of the key events that have been recreated on screen. The film depicts Keane as a hotheaded, entitled figure, while its portrayal of McCarthy is more sympathetic.
One wonders why this wasn't simply a documentary. Why dramatize what's already been recorded? Perhaps the filmmakers hoped to create a more compelling narrative around the events, but in doing so, they've created a film that feels curiously detached from reality.
The result is a jarring mix of drama and documentary that doesn't quite cohere. While Éanna Hardwicke shines as Keane, Steve Coogan fares less well as McCarthy – particularly when it comes to capturing the older man's physical presence. The supporting cast isn't much better, with Steven Reid and Jason McAteer – two other named players in the film – feeling like mere caricatures.
Ultimately, "Saipan" feels like an aesthetic experiment gone wrong. Rather than presenting a compelling narrative, the filmmakers have created a film that's more concerned with reproducing historical events on screen than exploring their significance. It's not unlike trying to recreate a great painting by simply copying it frame for frame – there's no soul, no passion, no life in the process.
In short, "Saipan" is a film that fails to capture the essence of its subject matter. While it's impressive from an aesthetic standpoint, its narrative shortcomings make it feel like less than the sum of its parts.
This level of attention to detail does raise an interesting question, though: what's the point? Why bother recreating every frame of every scene if the actual footage already exists? And yet, the filmmakers seem determined to recreate them, often with admirable accuracy. This becomes particularly evident in the climactic "stick it up your bollocks" tirade, which is reproduced almost verbatim from the original press conference.
However, this meticulous attention to detail raises another question: at what cost? The film's portrayal of Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy's infamous dispute has been widely panned by those who actually witnessed it, with many disputing some of the key events that have been recreated on screen. The film depicts Keane as a hotheaded, entitled figure, while its portrayal of McCarthy is more sympathetic.
One wonders why this wasn't simply a documentary. Why dramatize what's already been recorded? Perhaps the filmmakers hoped to create a more compelling narrative around the events, but in doing so, they've created a film that feels curiously detached from reality.
The result is a jarring mix of drama and documentary that doesn't quite cohere. While Éanna Hardwicke shines as Keane, Steve Coogan fares less well as McCarthy – particularly when it comes to capturing the older man's physical presence. The supporting cast isn't much better, with Steven Reid and Jason McAteer – two other named players in the film – feeling like mere caricatures.
Ultimately, "Saipan" feels like an aesthetic experiment gone wrong. Rather than presenting a compelling narrative, the filmmakers have created a film that's more concerned with reproducing historical events on screen than exploring their significance. It's not unlike trying to recreate a great painting by simply copying it frame for frame – there's no soul, no passion, no life in the process.
In short, "Saipan" is a film that fails to capture the essence of its subject matter. While it's impressive from an aesthetic standpoint, its narrative shortcomings make it feel like less than the sum of its parts.
so i just watched saipan and i gotta say, i'm still trying to wrap my head around why they didn't just stick to a doco 
it's like they wanted to dramatize everything but ended up losing the heart of the story 
here's my attempt at breaking down the plot into a flowchart:
. what's next? making a film about irish history where you just show the same old rolling green hills and stuff like that? 
Steven Reid and Jason McAteer felt like they were sleepwalking through their scenes too... It just feels like an aesthetic experiment gone wrong 
. I mean, come on, if you're gonna make a film about this infamous episode in Irish football history, just own it instead of trying to recreate everything from scratch.
. The attention to detail is insane, no doubt about that. But at what cost? It feels like they're more focused on recreating the exact moments than actually exploring what happened behind those scenes. And to me, that's where the magic happens – not in the minute details, but in the bigger picture.
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. Roy Keane's character is supposed to be this hotheaded star player, but to me, he came off as a bit of an entitled brat 
. And Steve Coogan's McCarthy was just...off 
. But without any real heart or soul, it just feels empty to me 
. Maybe I'm just not smart enough for their level of detail work 
, but I'd rather have a good ol' fashioned story than all these fancy recreations 
.