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In the Name of the Father (1993)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 1/15, 2/26

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1/15: Let's get one thing out of the way before I criticize the rest of In the Name of the Father: Daniel Day-Lewis is excellent as Gerry Conlon and his acting skills are never questioned.

He puts most of the wannabe actors to shame except for Pete Postlethwaite who held his own opposite him. The two offer contrasting characters, and it makes the father-son relationship interesting. However, the story is long that's filled with many events while the editing work sometimes feels rushed.

When the father and son entered prison for the first time, there seems to be a change of editors because I felt a difference in pace. Not much of substance is provided during their stay. So, it's safe to say Jim Sheridan's direction is uneven. That's a shame because the first half works with the characters standing out. But during the second half, they take a back seat and are thus rendered unimportant.

Only freedom, even though it's predictable and has been done many times in the past, for the parties involved is what matters the most. Unfortunately, I don't care about the English-I.R.A. relations, having only watched the film for Daniel Day-Lewis' sake.

All in all, In the Name of the Father is an above-average film.

2/26: Did I rate In the Name of the Father too low the last time I saw it?

After trying again, I've concluded '7' to be justified. Sure, the first half is riveting, but after Gerry Conlon is sent to prison, the film meanders a lot. It's not interesting again until the conclusion of the appeals process that set the Guildford Four free.

The story is true but isn't that well known. Unfortunately, some stuff has been made up. There was no such person named Joe McAndrew; it's the Balcombe Street Gang that did it. Gerry Conlon never shared a cell with his father. Having done the legwork, Gareth Peirce wasn't allowed to be in court because she was a solicitor, not a barrister. Moreover, she didn't discover the incriminating evidence; the British police did. After the whole thing was over, Gerry Conlon didn't adjust well to life and would pass away of lung cancer in 2014 at age 60. By the way, when he was with Charles Burke in the park during the night in question, they were doing drugs together.

Earning an Oscar nomination, Daniel Day-Lewis is more real than everybody without the need of undergoing through a dramatic character transformation. Another was given to Pete Postlethwaite, but I've found him merely average. Emma Thompson as Gareth Peirce is a bit too much, going so far as to receive an Oscar nomination; a small-time actress would've been enough.

All in all, In the Name of the Father and The Boxer should be seen back-to-back as they're quite similar.