Saipan, directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, is inspired by the real story of Ireland’s preparation for the 2002 World Cup, which was hosted in Japan, and its choice of Saipan as the training camp. With Saipan being the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, which are 2,400km south of Tokyo. The public fallout between manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) and player Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke) was tumultuous, eventually leading to Keane’s departure from the World Cup squad and, as a result, missing out on the 2002 World Cup.

Saipan isone of my most anticipated movies of the year because of my love of the sport, and the story’s well-documented nature allows an exploration of McCarthy and Keane’s perspectives that, at first, might not have been considered.

The actual story has rich elements that can be used to see those perspectives; McCarthy and Keane are truly great opposites. The Saipan incident is still viewed as the worst preparation for a World Cup by any national team. However, Saipan does decide to take liberties within this telling for that drama element, which you expect, but what the film does get right is how bad the pitch condition was. The condition was so bad that if you ran on it, you could easily break bones.

The film is honest about certain elements, but some are dramatized. However, I still really enjoyed Saipan. Barros D’Sa and Leyburn understand that, at the core of the drama, are two completely different types of characters clashing with each other. Both directors understand how much a World Cup can mean when you are a nation like Ireland, which isn’t at the tournament very often. Being Scottish, I certainly know that feeling. When chance finally does come along, it can energize a nation.

All the way through the film, you get this sense that McCarthy and Keane have a hope of a nation on their shoulders, and we are heading into a collision course. That sense is more certainty; the question is, when will it all boil over? This created tension for me where I felt I was refereeing between McCarthy and Keane, just wanting them to hash it out in private, with no outside noise from the Irish FA (Football Association), the press, or the team itself.

Within that is a tragic element in this drama: two individuals full of passion and care for this tournament, but, in the face of any fallout, neither is willing to apologize or listen when it’s right in front of them. Barros D’Sa and Leyburn show an understanding of balance here, as I see both sides of the argument. 

Because we understand what this World Cup represents for these clashing personalities, we sympathize with those arguments. Really,  it’s about legacy for them. McCarthy was part of the famous 1990 Italia squad that made the quarter-finals. Can he match that now in 2002? Keane, meanwhile, is entering the back end of his career and knows this World Cup might be his only one.

Going in, I was worried that the film could lean one way or the other in its central conflict, not show an understanding, but it instead finds a middle ground, a refreshing decision, seeing as, in real life, the conflict still divides Irish fans. 

There are times when the film’s dramatization did come across as manipulative, particularly during Keane and McCarthy’s famous bust-up. Keane calls McCarthy an ‘English c***t’ in the movie, despite former teammate Kevin Kilbane having said recently that Keane did not, in fact, say those words to McCarthy. 

While I accept that Keane didn’t like McCarthy, I didn’t buy that he crossed that line. McCarthy had played 57 games for Ireland as a player, famously part of the 1990 squad that a generation of Irish fans love. All the great balance I previously discussed was gone in that moment. It felt quite a dig at McCarthy.

Hardwicke and Coogan both transform into their roles, and that chemistry creates a genuine sense of animosity between them. Their tension is the film’s dramatic core, so you need that chemistry to work.

With Keane, Hardwicke brings that give-it-all attitude with fearless confidence that made Keane a dream to have on the pitch for your team, but a nightmare to deal with off the pitch. He has standards that must be constantly met, but he can’t wrap his head around the idea that some people are just okay with doing okay.

Coogan has always been a great character actor. With his performance as McCarthy, he brings a comedic, almost relaxed sense to the film, contrasting the pressure that I felt. There is a real sense of honesty in McCarthy. It’s like any job: he just has to work with the resources given to him and hope something comes of it.

Saipan succeeds. Even if you don’t like football, you can enjoy this great drama of how a simple argument can spiral into something much bigger. The road to reconciliation feels miles apart when, in reality, it is right in front of you.

Review Courtesy of Matthew Allan