During World War II, the Battle of Saipan lasted twenty-four days, and the American victory proved decisive in shifting the dynamic of the Pacific War. In the first of many clever touches in Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn’s latest film Saipan, the scintillating soccer drama unfolds over roughly the same amount of time. And while it would be glib to compare what went down between Irish football coach Mick McCarthy and star player Roy Keane to anything in that theatre of war, it might just be the second most significant thing to have occurred anywhere near the island in the Philippine Sea.
It’s 2002 and a scrappy Irish side have found themselves qualified for the World Cup in Japan. It’s a time of change in the sport. The old days when teams were filled by players who you’d just as likely find down at the pub before the match is shifting to laser-focused, highly trained athletes who spent almost every waking hour conditioning. For Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) — the player turned coach of the Irish squad — it’s a reality he hasn’t yet acknowledged. For Roy Keane (Eanna Hardwicke) — the jewel in the Manchester United team led by the future Sir Alex Ferguson — he not only adheres to rigorous training, he sees it in the next generation of superstars led by names like David Beckham.
Arriving in sunny Saipan three weeks before the tournament to train, it doesn’t take long for Keane to declare the planning by Irish Football Association head Dickie Hughes (Jamie Beamish) as a “shambles.” The practice pitch is brown and patchy, and even if they could run drills, they don’t have any footballs. The hotel is three-star at best, the food isn’t much more than cheese sandwiches, and the pale lads from the Emerald Isle haven’t even been provided sunscreen. The whole thing is seen, from the executives on down, as a vacation and everyone except Keane parties, golfs, and takes banana boat excursions as he patiently waits for manager McCarthy to, well, manage.
That’s the essence of the friction between McCarthy and Keane in the airtight script by Paul Fraser that soon sparks into an international incident. McCarthy’s style is laidback, appearing eager to be a friend with those in his charge, where Keane, as captain, takes his role as leader seriously, and in turn demands to be led. As communication breaks down between the two, an exasperated McCarthy asks Keane if he wants to play in the World Cup, oblivious that it’s not the player’s commitment that’s in doubt.
Compressed into a tight 90 minutes, Saipan is powered by an electrifying performance by Hardwicke who finds an empathetic side to the hard-as-nails Keane (who is also softened through a lovely supporting turn by Harriet Cains as his wife). Coogan plays McCarthy as out of his element, thrust into a role he’s either unprepared for or whose importance he cannot grasp. He’s built his entire World Cup strategy around Keane, but can’t seem to figure out how to serve that crucial cog in the machine. Together, the actors strike a perfect chord of dysfunction.
The picture moves at a terrific pace with sharp editing by John Murphy and Gavin Buckley. Utilizing extensive archival footage that serves as cuts and transitions between scenes, it provides necessary context to those unfamiliar with, as Wikipedia dubs it, The Saipan Incident, and nostalgic color for everyone else. Rounded out with an ace soundtrack including cuts by Oasis, The Stone Roses, Bob Dylan, and Fontaines D.C., it all provides an appropriately adrenaline pumping experience.
“They’ll forget all the rubbish when I’ve gone, and they’ll remember the football,” the legendary George Best once said, a player that Keane notes never had the privilege of playing in the World Cup. Well, Best only had it half right. Saipan proves that sometimes it’s both the rubbish and football that makes it the beautiful game.
Director: Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburn
Screenplay: Paul Fraser
Cast: Steve Coogan, Eanna Hardwicke
Producers: Macdara Kelleher, John Keville, Trevor Birney, Olly Butler
Cinematography: Piers McGrail
Production design: John Leslie
Costume design: Lara Campbell
Editing: John Murphy, Gavin Buckley
Music: David Holmes
Sound: Andrew Graham
Production companies: Wild Atlantic Pictures (Ireland), Finepoint Films (United Kingdom)
World sales: Bankside Films
Venue: Toronto International Film Festival (Centrepiece)
In English
91 minutes
