In the Name of the Father (1993)

Jim Sheridan's astonishingly fantastic 'In the Name of the Father' tells the brutally direct story of a wrongfully accused family who are tortured into making a false confession and imprisoned by the British justice system. Sheridan has a way of telling his stories where he gets straight to the point and does not fear to show the reality of the situation while keeping us viewers at the edge of our seats. The film is based on Gerry Conlan's autobiography where Daniel Day-Lewis plays the central character. Sheridan effectively portrays Gerry and Giuseppe's struggle and fight against injustice and his portrayal of the corrupt British justice system is frightening. Just the idea that people could get away with such things in a country like the UK is chilling and Sheridan skillfully brings that across on screen. Terry George's brilliant screenplay with rich characters and solid dialogues forms a good backbone for the film. I also liked how the humour was infused in a modest dose as not to interfere with the intensity of the story. There are some excellent performances. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a suitably explosive performance as he breathes fire into the role while Pete Postlethwaite is sublime and equally outstanding as Gerry's father, Giuseppe. Though father and son do have issues to fight over, it is Giuseppe who is Gerry's conscience and Postlethwaite's heartbreaking act really touches the heart. Emma Thompson holds her own and she is simply excellent. The rest of the cast do a superb job (watch out for Tom Wilkinson in a bit role). The soundtrack fits the mood of the film and the cinematography is good, especially in the prison sequences, where it creates that feeling of claustrophobia which gets stronger after Gerry is alone in his cell. I have liked all of Sheridan's ' films that I have seen so far and 'In The Name Of The Father' is another remarkable film from this fine director. It is a difficult movie to watch due to some disturbing themes and scenes (though most of them are rather suggestive it is the idea behind that sends chills down the spine) but it is definitely worth watching.

Fmovies: Name of the Father came out one year before The Shawshank Redemption and is bar none the better film. Shawshank is a great film but Name of the Father has more of human story to it. Daniel Day Lewis is a great actor with more potential now than he did when he won his first Oscar for My Left Foot and since then he has never starred in a film which he has acted badly in. Some of the stories have not been amazing but his acting makes up for it. This was the second time That Daniel Day Lewis and Jim Sheridan have come together to make a film. In all they have done three but Name of the father is by far the best. Pete Postlethwaite is another example of fine acting as he is the best actor in England since who ever was the last greatest actor.

Daniel Day Lewis plays Gerry Conlon who is a seventies hippie who doesn't want to grow up. He has had so many troubles at home his father

Giuseppe played by Postlethwaite decides to pack him off to London for his own safety and not become a lost soul amongst the troubles in Belfast. But when Gerry gets there he might as well wish he never went there in the first place as the trouble from Belfast follows him and before you know it a bomb goes off in a pub near to where he is staying and is not long arrested for the bomb along with his friends and family including his father.

From there we are taken into this grieving story of strength, hope, tragedy and family. The story between father and son in jail is more touching and compelling than any love story you will ever see because these two men who have never really seen eye to eye are forced to confront each other's feeling and face up to where they stand in the world. Also Pete Postlewaite reminds me of my own father and my grandfather and yours two. He plays Giuseppe so well so would have thought he was the old guy living next door to you or the man you look up to as a father and spend time with as a granddad. What you have to remind yourself is that the movie is a true story of the Guilford Bombing and the men who paid the price for it. Whether or not you believe Gerry and Giuseppe were guilty of the Guilford Bomb is not the case in the film as it's more about the characters and there trials and tribulations.

One film that will always be remembered in my mind about making a difference with your life not matter where you are in the world.

In watching this fine film, on idea kept running though my mind. That being terrorism often hurts the innocent much more than the declared enemy. In the Name of the Father is a powerful, well-acted drama about terrorism and injustice. And also the love one man feels for his father. Some of the events in this film are factual, and others are not. Despite some liberties taken with history, the film still makes a strong point, however.

Daniel Day-Lewis plays Gerry Conlon, a young man falsely accused along with several other friends and family members, of bombing a London pub in 1974. The bombing, performed by the IRA, killed a few persons and wounded several others. Conlon and his friends just happen to be near by when the bombing takes place. Through police torture, Conlon and his best friend confess to the crime, thinking a trial will exonerate them. Trouble is, there had been so many recent bombings that the legal system in Britain was just crying out for a scapegoat. Conlon and four friends are given life sentences. Several members of Conlon's family are also given stiff jail sentences. Even his own father who seems to be the most righteous and kind person imaginable and who never set foot in England at all during the time of the bombing!

The film starts out like a shot from a cannon, as we see just how violent and chaotic Blefast was during the early seventies. Just living a normal life looked impossible. If the British troops weren't after you, then the IRA members were. The film also scores when we see Conlon head off to London to presumably make a better life for himself. He and a friend force themselves into a commune and enjoy a brief period of free love and decadence. The film gets very heavy once Conlon is arrested and tortured. And the last hour detailing his time behind bars is just plain somber. We watch his father just sort of waste away with him behind bars while an aggressive lawyer (Emma Thompson) fights to get them out. Pete Postletwaite is exceptional as Gerry's father, and seeing him grow sicker and weak is very difficult for the viewer.

The film tries to shift gears down the stretch and show how Conlon has become determined and more radicalized, but these scenes are nothing spectacular. Even the conclusion seems a little anti-climatic, but at least we see some justice finally get done. The acting is very, very good. Lewis is as good as ever, and nobody looks out of their league. There are some historical liberties taken. Gerry and his father never actually lived in the same cell, for instance. Overall, this film will stick with you, though.

In watching this film, one cannot help but feel for the victims of terrorism. I have personally not much knowledge of the conflict between the IRA and Britain, except to say that I'm well aware of how long and deep the scars run between the English and Irish peoples. That said, there is simply no excuse for terrorism. Look at how many victims that pub bombing created. Not only those who perished or were injured. That act of terror sent several innocent people to jail and ruined their lives! The British legal system is certainly to blame for sending the wrong people to jail, but would this have even happened if the IRA had not bombed that pub? A similar situation can be seen in the Middle East today. Radical Muslims look to strike out at Western interests, but their actions often hurt scores more other Muslims than any actual Western interests! Will we ever all learn to get along on this planet?

8 of 10 stars.

In the Name of the Father fmovies. Even though this movie seems a bit too black and white from time to time I must say that it still is an impressive piece of cinema. Too black and white because I sometimes had the feeling that they had left out some parts to make it all a lot easier for the viewer. I can't help believing that Conlon and Hill weren't the nicest guys either, but the movie shows them almost as saints (except for the fact that they steal some lead from the roofs, they never really do anything wrong). Does that mean that this movie isn't any good? Certainly not! It still remains very impressive and the idea that injustice in the name of protecting the country should be allowed is awful and so it is good that at least some movie makers aren't afraid to protest against it.

The movie tells the story about Gerry Conlon and his old school friend Paul Hill. They both are small time criminals and because of their own safety they have to live in London for a while. Otherwise they might get shot by the IRA. In London they stay in a community of hippies, but aren't welcomed by everybody. As a bomb explodes in a pub, one of the members from the community goes to the police and accuses them of the crime. They are immediately apprehended, together with Conlon's father, his aunt and her family. What follows is a process full of corruption and false accusations, putting them in jail for many years even though they haven't done anything wrong.

The film is very good. It's well acted, well paced and well directed. The story is touching and I never got bored when watching it. Therefor I give it an 8/10.

The movie is based on a true story. Belfast guy Gerry Conlon is suspected of being one of the IRA terrorists responsible for a bomb in Guilford, London, in 1974, which killed several people. He spends 15 years in jail, fighting for his innocence and for truth.

After working with Daniel Day Lewis in "My left foot", director Jim Sheridan teams again with the actor for this drama. The strong cast is completed by Emma Thomson and Pete Postlewaite. The result is a brilliant, passionate feature which tells about injustice. It's a disquieting film.

This is doubtless the most achieved collaboration between the director and the main star. The other pictures as well are very good, but here we have a film of accusation -the story is more involving. Day Lewis performance in "My left foot" was awarded with an Oscar, but the actor could have been given the same prize for his play of Gerry Conlon.

Strong screenplay, actors and soundtrack -with music of Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer and songs of Irish stars Bono and Sinead O'Connor.

Like MIDNIGHT EXPRESS , IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER is a an extremely well made film , but like MIDNIGHT EXPRESS much of it is total invention . Reviewers on this page have already pointed out the numerous errors such as Guiseppe and Gerry Conlon never being imprisoned in the same jail or the " Guilford four " and " Mcguire seven " trials taking place in completely seperate court cases but no one seems to have pointed out the erroneous backgrounds this film paints of Gerry Conlon and Paul Hill. In their book THE PROVISIONAL IRA authors Patrick Bishop and Eamon Mallie state the facts quite clearly that Paul Hill was a member of the Belfast brigade of the provisonal IRA ( And Hill later did confess to being a member ) while Conlon had been a member of Na Fianna Eireann which is the youth section of the provisionals though Conlon was quickly kicked out ( Literally ) due to his heavy drinking and drug taking . They didn`t meet on the ferry as shown in the film but Conlon bumped into Hill in Southampton where Hill was staying . What was Hill doing in Southampton ? He was on the run from the IRA who wanted to question him about guns going missing and about the possibility of Hill being an informer , something that is always punishable in IRA ranks with death and prior torture . When Conlon returned to Belfast in December 1974 he did drunkenly mention to IRA acquaintances in pubs that he`d met Hill in England and in order to punish Hill for his suspected crimes against the organisation and to take the heat off their own cells active in Britain at the time it was the IRA themselves who deliberately leaked the false information to the intelligence services about Conlon and Hill being involved in the Guilford bombings , not as the film shows a jealous boyfriend . Hill was also later found guilty of the murder of a former soldier though is never shown in the film and it`s this playing hard and loose with the facts that almost threatens to destroy the film . It could have been worse though , there might have been the suggestion that the bombing could have been a mass suicide

Well that`s the bad points out of the way . What`s IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER`s good points ? Well Jim Sheridan directs with a real kinetic force especially the early scene where Conlon is pursued by the Brits against a voodoo chile soundscape . Sheridan also gets the very best out of his cast . Emma Thompson is good as the crusading lawyer , Pete Postlethwaite is very good as Guiseppe Conlon , but the outstanding performance is by Daniel Day Lewis as Gerry Conlon . Has anyone noticed the bitter Irony of a film about injustice features one of the greatest injustices commited by the Oscar board voters where they gave that year`s best actor Oscar to a very average performance by Tom Hanks ? No wonder more and more people view the Oscars as a popularity contest . And despite my above criticisms about the facts - or lack of them - IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER can in no way be described as a pro IRA film in the way that THE DEVIL`S OWN or SOME MOTHER`S SON are