In the Name of the Father

In the name of truth, I will go against the flow, although only a little, this time. In the name of sincerity I must mention that the whole time I couldn’t shake off a niggling feeling that the powerful theme of a new witch hunt remained seriously underexploited. In other words, in the name of interest value, that it is too rushed at the end and not rushed enough during the unsuitably dragged-out beginning. And also, in the name of Oscars, even Daniel’s performance is not up to his boundless talent. Don’t get me wrong, if anybody else were acting, this would be his/her performance in the name of a lifetime role, but for this über-actor this was just his standard. In the name of “choose the missing word" the word standard fits the entire picture. And not only In the Name of the Father, the IRA or innocence. (15/04/2008)

This drama is greatly supported by the theme of political will, which even leads to judicial crimes. No system is immune to it, including that of a developed democracy with a long tradition. Where there is a political order to find the culprit at any cost, lawyers and police officers will twist the truth to satisfy the higher authorities. It was quite unnecessary to make the main character a bigger hero and more likable than he actually was. In this film, he has the nature of almost an intellectual and exceptional personality, while in reality, he was just a small thief whose family and acquaintances were crushed by history and institutions. Even the perpetrator can sometimes be a victim, and in the case of the main character, this is entirely true. The case of the Guildford Four, where a group of innocent people was imprisoned for 15 years, even though the real perpetrators of the crime were known for a long time, is reminiscent of the French Dreyfus affair and many other judicial crimes from recent history. Beyond that, the film suffers from being too long - I can imagine about 25 minutes being cut out - resulting in a slow pace. Overall impression: 75%. (13/05/2011)

There are many films that simply aren't beautiful and watching them isn't a pleasant, entertaining, and relaxing experience. But those films usually have several scenes that twist your mind in an unprecedented way or literally take your breath away. In the Name of the Father basically falls into this category, with the difference that it has dozens of those gripping scenes. It starts with a thrilling chase, continues with a captivating interrogation, an uncompromising trial, sequences in prison, and the final catharsis is monumental. Several times you catch yourself with tears in their eyes without even realizing it at first. The incredible and emotionally charged performance by Daniel Day-Lewis and the even better Jim Sheridan. With The Boxer, I thought it was a unique performance, now I have no doubt about the qualities of this lesser-known director in the least, and I will seek out all of his films. One of the best pieces of the year. (06/06/2007)

I had no idea what the story really was, so you can imagine what a nail-biter the film was for me. A first-class drama about guilt, innocence, lies and truth, about finding and losing hope, about what is right and what shouldn't be right, with the excellent Daniel Day Lewis and the equally great Pete Postlethwait, who is a little forgotten. And that great (song) soundtrack! (10/04/2021)

A bit subtle, perhaps, but a very impressive drama whose premise has become increasingly topical in recent years. A man with the "wrong blood" who finds himself in a very bad place at a very bad time must face harsh political discrimination and endure the greatest psychological burdens that society can offer. It’s a film with enormous power that lies both in the great atmosphere full of revolutionary moods and hippies, and in the great performances, which are really worth seeing. Daniel Day-Lewis is again amazing and I definitely rank him among the best actors ever to appear in front of the camera, and Pete Postlehwaite as the hardened father and Emma Thompson in a smaller but very distinctive role are equally impressive. And as serious and somewhat depressing as the movie is, I enjoyed the ending with Conlon giving a proud speech in front of a crowd of journalists all the more. These are exactly the moments that make me love movies so much and never cease to appeal to me... (25/08/2012)

I don't know, but a film that manages to simultaneously deviate markedly from its subject matter and yet feel so theatrical and bookish just seems to me to have stumbled and knocked its teeth out somewhere. And then tries to blame it on the cops. (03/08/2022)

It's undoubtedly a crucial, captivating, and engrossing subject – all the more reason why its handling didn't resonate with me as it probably should have. It's a fine film, professionally written, shot, and acted, as well as authentic and shocking in its message. But I can't help feeling that it could have extracted a lot more emotion. I'll spare you the superlatives, but it is definitely a quality work. (25/07/2018)