In the Name of the Father (1993)

• Year: 1993
• Released: 25 Feb 1994
• Country: Ireland, United Kingdom
• Adwords: Nominated for 7 Oscars. 7 wins & 41 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107207/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/In_the_Name_of_the_Father
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/in-the-name-of-the-father
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
• Runtime: 133 min
• Writer: Gerry Conlon, Terry George, Jim Sheridan
• Director: Jim Sheridan
• Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Alison Crosbie
• Keywords: based on novel or book, biography, parent child relationship, prison, 1970s,

	8.1/10
	84/100
	94% – Critics
	95% – Audience

In the Name of the Father Storyline

Young Belfastian Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) admits that he was in London at the time of the incident. He also admits that he is not a model citizen, having committed a petty robbery while in London. He does however profess his innocence when it comes to the bombing of the Guildford Pub in London in 1974, the event which killed several people inside. A self-professed non-political person, he and his three co-accused, dubbed the Guildford Four, are thought to be provisional members of the I.R.A. Their self-professed innocence is despite each having signed a statement of guilt which they claim were signed under duress. Their case includes having provable alibis for the time frame of the bombing. And eventually, Joe McAndrew (Don Baker), a known I.R.A. member, admits to the bombing. Dubbed the Maguire Seven, seven others, primarily members of Gerry’s extended family including his father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite), are accused of being accessories to the bombing. Following on the work initiated by Giuseppe, Gerry works on a campaign to prove their collective innocence, this work with the assistance of compassionate lawyer Gareth Peirce (Dame Emma Thompson). As Gareth works on this campaign, she is faced with obstacle after obstacle placed by Robert Dixon (Corin Redgrave), who led the initial investigation and questioning of the four accused on behalf of the Police.

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In the Name of the Father Movie Reviews

Well worth seeing…but I’d sure love to see a follow-up

I am not British nor am I Irish. And, as far as ‘the troubles’ go, I don’t have a very strong opinion one way or another. A lot of crazy stuff went on for so long and there’s so much guilt, it’s hard to take a side–though I sure hate the idea of terrorism. So, I am not a person with a dog in the fight, so to speak. I just thought I’d mention this so you don’t think I had a particular stake in the film.

The film is the story of Gerry Conlon, though it also affected his father, the rest of his family and some friends. Back during the heyday of IRA terrorism in the 1970s, the British were obviously very frustrated and were willing to go to some extreme methods to stop it–even if it meant suspending traditional constitutional rights. This is understandable but troubling. But what goes WAY beyond troubling were the methods used by the prosecutors and police to convict a group of people for a bombing–even when it turned out that they knew that the people were probably innocent! The film is essentially a showcase for Daniel Day-Lewis to show off his acting skills. However, the film also had lovely direction and was a first-class project all around. Well worth seeing–and there’s a good chance this film might make you feel a little mad.

Very moving and exceptionally well acted

In the Name of the Father… what a fine movie! This is a movie that really moved me and continues to do so. It has a stirring story, that carries a great dramatic punch, it is beautifully directed by Jim Sheridan and while a little over two hours it never bored me. The script is lovingly balanced, the film looks beautiful and the emotional punch is definitely there. I loved the acting best of all though. Daniel Day Lewis is highly impressive as Conlon, and while I have seen a few reviews saying Emma Thompson was miscast I thought her performance was fine, if anything I would have liked to have seen more of her. For me, Pete Postlethwaite gives the best performance, he is brilliant as the bemused and hapless father, and if there is a film or role he should be remembered for it is this one. Overall, a perhaps controversial but engaging, moving and wonderfully acted movie. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Incredible father and son story

It’s 1974. The IRA bombs a pub in Guildford, England. Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) is an aimless petty thief. His father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite) is a straight-arrow soft-spoken man. He and his friend Paul Hill (John Lynch) are in London staying with hippies. They leave the flat when the pub bombing happens. A prostitute drops her keys and Gerry breaks in. The parliament passes the Prevention of Terrorism Act which allows for suspects to be held for 7 days. Gerry, Paul and others are arrested and coerced into false confessions. Giuseppe and other relatives are also implicated. The actual bomber Joe McAndrew (Don Baker) is arrested and tells the police. However the police refuses to admit its mistake. Gerry befriends Joe in prison while ignoring the peaceful faith of his father. Joe becomes the leader of the prison as Giuseppe declines in health. British attorney Gareth Peirce (Emma Thompson) works to free the falsely imprisoned. After Joe burns the lead guard, Gerry saves him and turns on Joe.

This is a meticulous telling of a compelling life wrongly convicted. It’s a bit up and down at times. The first trial is not the most compelling. The results are preordained and not that compelling. The most compelling is the father son relationship. When Joe get into the middle, it’s a great turn in the story. These are two great performances from Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite. The two of them in prison is a terrific movie filled with emotions and character growth. The final court case is theatrical as heck.