Saipan Review: Éanna Hardwicke Is Utterly Magnetic as Roy Keane in Dramatisation of Infamous Feud

Saipan review: Éanna Hardwicke is utterly magnetic as Roy Keane in dramatisation of infamous feud

The best-known true-story feature films about “the beautiful game” have put the lives of iconic football managers like Brian Clough (The Damned United) or brilliant players such as George Best (Best) at the heart of the drama.A manager (Mick McCarthy) and a player (Roy Keane) are also at the centre of events in Saipan, however, it’s a notorious falling-out between the men in the lead-up to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea around which event…

Éanna Hardwicke on Playing Roy Keane in Saipan

Saipan revisits one of the most talked-about moments in Irish sporting history, but this film is far more than a football story. Set around the events of the 2002 World Cup, it focuses on the clash of personalities, pressure, and pride that surrounded the Irish camp at the time. Rather than breaking down tactics or matches, Saipan digs into the human cost of elite sport and the emotional stakes behind a moment that became part of national folklo…