No One Failed to Prepare – A review of ‘Saipan’
By Luke Collins
Ireland stood on the brink of despair, a nation divided, neither side willing to budge. The future of this great thrown into disarray over a quarrel between two former friends turned rivals. Following this fallout, the nation would suffer a great loss…losing 3-2 on penalties to Spain. I was not alluding to the Irish Civil War but rather a much greater and more impactful battle between Irish Football Team manager Mick McCarthy and the team Captain Roy Keane.
On the island of Saipan where in 1944 a great battle would be fought between US forces and the Japanese another great conflict would prove to be a turning point for the Republic of Ireland’s chances at the 2002 World Cup. Ireland had an impressive squad led by manager Mick McCarthy, an established veteran in his own right having represented Ireland 57 times between 1984 and 1992 before being given the reigns to manage the national team after legendary manager Sir Jackie Charlton had stepped on.
However, among all the great players, none stood out more than the captain and Manchester United legend Roy Keane. Having already won 6 Premier League trophies, 3 FA Cups and a Champions League (as a Liverpool fan, it is painful for me to write this) his status as a Premier League legend was cemented. However, the only thing that is more legendary than Keane’s playing career was his personality. Many people find him amusing doing Sky Sports punditry or The Overlap where Keane almost does a heightened impression of himself, but Roy Keane was never one to mince his words. He once criticised United fans for not giving the players enough support during a Champions League fixture against Dinamo Kyiv in 2000 and his clashes have been legendary. His tunnel bust up with Arsenal midfielder Patrick Viera, his heated rivalry (not in that way) with Man City leader Alf Inge Haaland father of current City striker Erling Haaland which resulted in a dangerous challenge in 2001 which ended Haaland’s career and of course, the Saipan bust up between Keane and McCarthy.
In 2002, the Republic of Ireland national team travelled to the island of Saipan in May to familiarise themselves with the conditions they would have to be accustomed to for the upcoming World Cup (their most recent unless Troy Parrot has anything to say about it). Keane immediately took problems with the training camp; the pitch was rock hard, cheese sandwiches were served for breakfast, there weren’t even goal posts or footballs for that matter. He did an interview with Paul Kimmage of the Sunday Independent and Tom Humphries of the Irish Times and revealed his dissatisfaction with the setup. Keane made Humphries promise not to publish the article until after the World Cup, but Humphries published the article in a major scoop. This enraged McCarthy who called a team meeting and asked Keane to apologise. Refusing to back down, Keane went on an explosive rant.
The next day, McCarthy announced he had sent Keane home. This decision shocked the nation: despite the national team uniting around McCarthy, the country was split between those who supported Keane or McCarthy. Despite attempts from then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to amend this falling out, Keane did not return with the squad and Ireland was knocked out of the round of 16 by Spain on penalties. This incident has remained a persistent memory in Irish culture for many years with Saipan being used as a way to describe a fallout in Ireland.
The film is helmed by directors Lisa Barros D’sa and Glenn Leyburn who previously directed the 2013 film Good Vibrations. The pressure of portraying these larger-than-life figures that are still present in the modern culture are balanced to varying degrees of success by Eanna Hardwicke who stated it was a ‘huge sense of pride’ to portray the fellow Cork man and Steve Coogan who audiences would be most familiar as Alan Partridge.
Hardwicke shines as Keane particularly when delivering Keane’s famous rant, you can feel the tension and the frustration. Keane’s broodiness is expertly portrayed here. Coogan like McCarthy is second-generation Irish but his attempt at McCarthy’s Barnsley accent is ok. Coogan is 20 years older than McCarthy was at the time and also has the problem of height; whereas his 5 foot 10 frame pales in comparison to Hardwicke who is 6 foot, in real life McCarthy is at least 2 inches taller than Keane which fundamentally changes the dynamic and their relationship in the film as Coogan’s McCarthy is portrayed as a feckless idiot cowering in the presence of Hardwicke’s Keane.
Aside from the two main leads none of the supporting characters are noteworthy enough to speak of the dog portraying Roy Keane’s dog Triggs makes as much an impact as Shay Given. The real-life characters portrayed have taken issues with their portrayals such as McCarthy and Kevin Kilbane who was on the 2002 World Cup squad wrote an article for the Irish Times stating that the Irish team ‘were not pissheads’. Now it is true there are many inaccuracies in the film, but the creative liberties taken are in service to the film’s plot and while Paul Fraser’s script may be seen as biased towards Keane, the film does give McCarthy the chance to defend himself.
The narrative they take is a very good portrayal of these real-life events. Fraser’s screenplay gives the necessary context for the main plotline. It examines the pride both men feel leading their country to a world cup but how it also comes to the detriment of their relationship. The film uses a common technique of split screen to show the contrasting lives of these two men, and it makes sense when employed in this film focused solely on their relationship. What Paul Fraser’s script achieves is the ability to balance humour and drama. The tension between Keane and McCarthy before the falling out is portrayed as claustrophobic with the characters often conversing in tight spaces such as airplane bathrooms, saunas or hotel rooms highlighting the awkwardness both men feel around each other.
The film doesn’t shy away from portraying the frustration felt by Keane, certain scenes are shot to almost look like a psychological drama particularly ones with Keane alone in his bedroom. This could not have hit without the excellent acting skills displayed by Hardwicke whereas despite the setbacks, Coogan still delivers a sympathetic portrayal of McCarthy. When the big moment occurs during the team meeting, the audience is able to understand both sides and is on the edge of the seat, their hearts pounding at how personal the insults and desperately hoping for a resolve even though it is not possible to portray it as such.
The final 10 minutes is agonising as all attempts are thrown to bring Keane back into the fold including a plane ready to fly him to Japan are ultimately hopeless. The final gut punch of the film is delivered in its last scene in which McCarthy makes one last call to Keane to return which is rejected, the audience is left to wallow in pity that Keane and McCarthy could not resolve their differences for the good of the national team.
The soundtrack is so good it was almost as if they asked me to pick it, when I heard the first few chords of ‘Acquiesce’ by Oasis during the opening montage of Keane’s playing career, I was so pumped I was ready to leap out of my seat as well as Bob Dylan, The Pogues the emotional final montage showing the team’s eventual exit from the World Cup paired with ‘Favourite’ by Fontaines DC.
With impressive reviews and general audience satisfaction, this football film which hones on the pressure that squads feel when millions of hopes on their abilities should be the new benchmark for the football film. There’s no 90th minute winners, just two men unable to communicate their differences to one another. This Shakesperean tragedy which is just as much about ego and Ireland’s identity after the Celtic Tiger as it is about football.
A film about two men having an argument is somehow entertaining, funny and tense at the same time for the whole 90 minutes except audiences will not be wanting for the full-time whistle to come by the end. Football fans and non-fans alike can have a great time with this film. Everyone who worked on Saipan should be immensely proud of themselves but ultimately that’s their job isn’t it.
Photo Credit – Aidan Monaghan
