Saipan explores the explosive clash between Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy before the 2002 World Cup. Their feud, rooted in clashing standards and personalities, erupted on the
island of Saipan, shaking the Irish team and nation. As Keane walked out, McCarthy faced chaos. This gripping true story goes beyond sport, it’s a dramatic, often comic tale of leadership, loyalty, and a rivalry that captured global attention.
The Garden Cinema View:
For British and Irish viewers above a certain age, Saipan is a cinematic ‘translation’ of a football drama that monopolised the tabloids in the summer of 2002. For international audiences, it is a fun and twisty character study that explores issues like ego, loyalty, and team spirit.
Steve Coogan gives an impressively restrained performance as the team's well intended, yet not-up-to-the-task, coach who has to take charge of the Republic of Ireland team for a rare Word Cup appearance. However, he finds himself constantly locking horns with the his combustible captain Roy Keane - a terrific Éanna Hardwicke who embodies the bullish star in all his hard working, humourless, brilliance.
Both right and wrong, stubborn and uncollaborative, this is an incident in sports history that divided Ireland (and the world) and a cautionary tale of what is lost when teamwork gives way to ego.
