In the Name of the Father

An emotionally wrenching and immensely powerful true story of an innocent man who is put in prison for fifteen years, after being forced by interrogators to sign a confession out of the threat that they'd kill his father if he didn't, and this man's fight to clear his name and his father's. Due to an incident with the IRA, Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) moves to London and after a chance opportunity to rob a prostitute he returns to his home in Belfast, coincidentally the day after a huge bombing committed by the IRA in London. His best friend, who was with him that night, Paul Hill is arrested and after being forced to confess with a gun in his mouth he lists Conlon and two other friends as members of the IRA. Now known as the Guildford Four, these innocent people were all sentenced to very lengthy jail sentences and, after painful torture, the government plants false accusations on members of Conlons' family including his father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite). Gerry has to deal with pent-up aggression that he has built up against his father for years while also trying to survive in a British prison as an accused IRA member. Even after Joe McAndrew (Don Baker) is arrested and confesses to the police that he was behind the Guildford bombing and the people they have in prison were innocent, Gerry and Giuseppe remain in prison suffering more and more by the day. Eventually Giuseppe begins working with Gareth Pierce (Emma Thompson) to investigate their case and prove the innocence of the Conlons and the other members of the Guildford Four. After Giuseppe dies of natural causes, Gerry gains a new drive to prove their innocence and takes over the task of working with Gareth. The film is a powerful character study of a man put under unimaginable circumstances and has the discipline to rise up and, along with Pierce, prove the innocence of not only himself but of his father and the other three members of the Guildford Four. It's an immensely heart-wrenching, emotional story that had me in tears several times throughout. Highlighting this sensational film is Daniel Day-Lewis who further proves that he is the greatest actor of all time and delivers what I believe is the best performance of his career. Taking on the role of Gerry Conlon requires the ability to subtly flow from a naive, immature young man to a disciplined adult working to clear the name of his father. Along that journey there are several highly emotional scenes that could have felt melodramatic or silly if another actor were portraying the man, but Day-Lewis brings a power to Conlon that no one else could. His brilliance is unparalleled. Pete Postlethwaite and Emma Thompson also deliver fantastic performances that rank among the best of the 90s. In the Name of the Father is a phenomenal film that studies the torture that one man had to go through due to the government and the journey he took to clear his name and the name of his father. It's the best film of 1993, in my eyes and Day-Lewis' portrayal is very high among the best performances of all time.

We Americans often like to think of England as the most civilized place on Earth. "In the Name of the Father" shows that this is unfortunately not true. It's the true story of Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis), a rowdy Northern Irishman who got imprisoned by the British government for a crime that he didn't commit. Specifically, they tortured him to the point that he signed a confession. So, he was sent to jail with some other Northern Irish people - including his father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite) - and forced to experience fifteen years of brutality from every angle. This is one of those movies that cuts right to the heart of a touchy issue. Regardless of which opinion you take of the situation in Northern Ireland, this is a movie that everyone should see, just to understand the cruel lengths to which governments can go when they think that they're right. I've heard Daniel Day-Lewis described as the world's most devoted actor; "In the Name of the Father" certainly backs that up, and I would definitely say that this is Jim Sheridan's best movie ever.

I won't write a spoiler, but merely invite viewers of the film to reflect on how what the prisoners and their legal counsel are striving to prove has any logical bearing on the issue of their guilt, given the method by which the crime was committed. My son pointed this problem out to me when he saw the film at the age of 12; I myself, like the many people who have found the plot to be credible, had not picked up on it. It's a classic instance of Hollywood-manufactured cognitive dissonance. Before the over-the-top stereotypical court scene at the end, the performances of the actors are very good.

I might have rated this higher had Emma Thompson had a bigger role. I am a fan of hers, plus I think most people would agree she's an excellent actress, so it was disappointment to see her appear much until the last 15 minutes of the film. That's especially misleading when she gets second or third billing in this movie. Nonetheless, it's an involving true-story of an Irishman, his dad and some of their relatives who are all sent to prison for a bombing they had nothing to do with. Filmmakers LOVE these kind of stories in which they can make their country and police into the bad guys. Here, the British look bad - very bad - as they railroad "Gerry Conlon" (Daniel-Day Lewis). The latter makes a convincing hot-headed Irishman, but he's no killer. The tone of the movie softens not in the last half hour as Lewis' character begins to appreciate his father. Until then, it's a rough film that is not always easy to watch and hear because of the accents, some police brutality and corruptness and general group of nasty characters. By the way, despite the billing, Pete Postlewaite is the second star of the film. He doesn't get the recognition he deserves for his acting contribution in this movie.

'In the Name of the Father' is a compelling portrayal of the harrowing ordeal faced by Gerry Conlon, his family and friends, who were wrongfully imprisoned for the Guildford Pub bombing in the 1970s. The film is skilfully manipulated to show a myriad of contrasts and juxtapositions, such as when Gerry is being tortured and interrogated in his cell, the police in the hallway are unconcerned as they celebrate someone's birthday with a cake. The framing of shots and camera angles used emphasise the helplessness Gerry and the others experience. There is also a particularly moving scene in which prisoners show their respect when Gerry's father dies by dropping flaming material from their windows, like a waterfall of burning tears. The soundtrack uses music which is carefree or haunting in all the right places, perfectly mirroring the scenes and adding to the mood of the film. The themes of injustice and corruption are heightened through irony in the dialogue, and are representative of the problems faced by Irish Catholics in the 1970s and beyond. 'In the Name of the Father' is a beautifully constructed film which is a credit to the actors, direction and production crew. I challenge you not to be moved by this film.

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