SAIPAN arrives in Irish cinemas at a moment when the wounds it depicts have barely begun to heal, bringing to the screen one of the most contentious episodes in Irish sporting history with an urgency that feels almost reckless. The film, directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa and written by Paul Fraser, doesn’t simply recount the infamous 2002 World Cup bust-up between Ireland’s captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy—it resurrects it, forces us to live through it again, and dares us to pick a side in a fight that has divided the nation for over two decades.
The setup is deceptively simple: Ireland’s national football team gathers on a remote Pacific island on the eve of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, ostensibly to prepare for their moment on the world stage. Keane, portrayed with ferocious precision by Éanna Hardwicke, arrives with a singular mission: to win it all. But what he finds on Saipan is something less than world-class—substandard facilities, a casual approach to preparation, and what he perceives as a fundamental lack of ambition from the Irish Football Association. For a player who has spent his career demanding excellence from himself and everyone around him, it’s intolerable. The tension builds like a pressure cooker until it finally explodes in a confrontation with McCarthy, played with exasperated authority by Steve Coogan, resulting in Keane’s shocking departure from the squad days before the tournament begins.
What makes SAIPAN work, and what elevates it beyond mere sports drama, is its refusal to offer easy answers or convenient villains. Fraser’s script imagines the private moments behind closed doors, the conversations that weren’t recorded by journalists or captured on camera, and in doing so creates a portrait of two men locked in an impossible situation of their own making. Keane’s obsessive drive for perfection, his inability to accept anything less than total commitment, crashes headlong into McCarthy’s pragmatic approach to management and his determination to maintain authority over his squad. Neither man is entirely wrong, and neither is entirely right, which is precisely what has made this incident so endlessly debatable in Irish pubs and living rooms for the past twenty years.
Hardwicke’s performance as Keane is nothing short of revelatory, capturing not just the footballer’s famous intensity and barely controlled rage but also the wry humor and self-awareness that have always lurked beneath the surface. He doesn’t impersonate Keane so much as inhabit him, finding the humanity in a man often reduced to caricature. Coogan, meanwhile, brings unexpected depth to McCarthy, playing him not as a buffoon or a tyrant but as a man trying to hold together a fractious group while navigating his own insecurities and the impossible expectations of an entire nation. The casting alone makes SAIPAN essential viewing, transforming what could have been a by-the-numbers recreation into something electric and alive.
The film currently plays in select Irish theaters before expanding nationwide on New Year’s Day, a release strategy that feels appropriate for a story so deeply embedded in the Irish psyche. This isn’t just about football or even about two men who couldn’t get along—it’s about national identity, about the tension between excellence and pragmatism, about what we demand from our heroes and what we’re willing to forgive. SAIPAN doesn’t resolve these questions because they can’t be resolved, but it earns its place in the conversation simply by treating them with the seriousness and complexity they deserve. More than two decades after the events it depicts, the film proves that some arguments never really end—they just find new ways to be told.
Killarney`s own Jessie Buckley just took home the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress for HAMNET, and her acceptance speech was pure gold 🏆✨
In HAMNET, Buckley delivers a devastating performance as Agnes, William Shakespeare`s wife, navigating the grief of losing their 11-year-old son. Critics are calling it unforgettable, and now she has the trophy to prove it 🎬💚
More Jessie at irishfilmtv.com.
HAMNET star Jessie Buckley shines in BEAST, now on #Netflix.
A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🕺✨ DANCING WITH THE STARS IRELAND is back for S9 tonight!
Get ready for spray tans, sequins, and Sunday night sparkle because Ireland`s favourite winter escape is almost here. Who`s ready to vote their faves to victory? 💃
More at irishfilmtv.com.
** Now on Netflix **
RUN AWAY brings Harlan Coben back to form with James Nesbitt doing what he does best—playing a tormented father searching for his missing daughter against all advice.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Available everywhere January 1st!
The fight that divided a nation is finally on screen. SAIPAN brings the infamous 2002 World Cup showdown between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy to life, and it`s absolutely electric. ⚡
Éanna Hardwicke is a revelation as Keane—capturing that legendary intensity, rage, and surprising humor. Steve Coogan matches him beat for beat as McCarthy. This isn`t just sports drama; it`s a masterclass in casting and a story we`re still arguing about 20+ years later.
More at irishflmtv.com.
By order of the Peaky Blinders, Merry Christmas!
A teaser for the new film PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN just dropped, and it features Cillian Murphy’s gangster Tommy Shelby returning to his old ways despite leaving them all behind at the end of the TV series.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Domhnall Gleeson heads to a remote Scottish isle for THE INCOMER!
He plays an awkward council worker tasked with relocating two siblings who survive by hunting seabirds, talking to mythical beings, and fiercely defending their homeland from outsiders.
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
Andrew Scott is bringing one of theater`s most powerful true stories to life.
The ALL OF US STRANGERS star will portray Scottish actor Ian Charleson in ELSINORE, chronicling Charleson`s breathtaking final performance as Hamlet at London`s National Theatre before his death in 1990 at age 40.
More via irishfilmtv.com.
Belfast-born Ciaran Hinds shines in Bradley Copper`s IS THIS THING ON?
With Hinds, you`re not just getting an actor. You`re getting decades of gravitas, warmth, and that rare ability to make every scene feel like it matters. From prestige drama to fantasy epics, he`s built a career on understated brilliance. And now? He`s ready to find the humor in heartbreak.
More Ciaran at irishfilmtv.com.
Gothic drama LIES WE TELL is now on Netflix.
With powerful performances by Agnes O`Casey and David Wilmot, the Irish drama takes Sheridan Le Fanu`s classic novel UNCLE SILAS and transforms it into something urgent and vital for our moment.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
When Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley finally sat down together, they were strangers—but within moments, the conversation became profound.
Both Irish actors are carrying the weight of devastating roles this year: Farrell as a gambling addict spiraling in Macau in BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER, Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare grieving her son in HAMNET.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
From FAIR CITY to KNIVES OUT! Daryl McCormack shines in the new #netflix film WAKE UP DEAD MAN.
McCormack just wrapped Netflix`s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE opposite Jack Lowden, Emma Corrin, and Olivia Colman. Talk about range: trading viral grift for Jane Austen elegance. Same actor, different century, wildly different moral compass.
More Daryl at irishfilmtv.com.
Eve Hewson brings ghosts to life in Noah Baumbach`s JAY KELLY.
From her breakout in THIS MUST BE THE PLACE to BAD SISTERS and beyond, she`s now haunting George Clooney as Daphne—a face from the past that forces a movie star to confront who he became while chasing fame.
More Eve at irishfilmtv.com.
When the past catches up with you in Amsterdam 🌊
Ciarán Hinds and Lesley Manville star in MIDWINTER BREAK—a retired couple`s winter getaway becomes a reckoning with memories they`ve tried to outrun for decades, in theatres Feb 20.
New trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
James Nesbitt is back in Harlan Coben`s twisted universe. 🔍
RUN AWAY drops January 1st on #Netflix — and this one`s personal.
When Simon (Nesbitt) finally finds his missing daughter strung out in a city park, it`s supposed to be a second chance. Instead, it`s the beginning of a nightmare.
New trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
