Review of In the Name of the Father (1993) by Krishna S — 02 Jan 2009

"In the Name of the Father" is a powerful and angry film. It is the story of Gerard Conlon (Daniel Day Lewis) who was wrongly framed by the British legal system for IRA bombings merely because he was Irish, foolish, in the wrong place at the wrong time and there was mounting public pressure on the British government to take swift action against the bombings. As a result of a coerced confession, he and his father(Pete Postlethwaite) are wrongfully sentenced to 30 years in prison. The movie depicts the transformation Gerry undergoes from an aimless drifter to a responsible man seeking justice for the wrongs committed against him and his family. He is assisted by a British lawyer (Emma Thompson) in this quest for justice.

"In the Name of the Father" is based on Gerry Conlon's book "Proved Innocent" but takes considerable liberties with its source material. Nevertheless, it is a gritty portrayal of the failings of the British government and legal system in dealing with the Irish situation and the toll it took on individuals who were the victims of the same. At the same time, it is a highly personal story of the transformation of one man and the inspiration he took from his father to change. The sequences between Daniel Day Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite are beautifully crafted and very realistic. We see in Giuseppe Conlon (Pete Postlethwaite), a proud man who is forced to suffer indignation he did not deserve. He maintains his dignity even in prison till the very end. On the other hand, in Gerry, we see a man drowning in self-pity who undergoes a transformation over time and takes responsibility for himself and the people around him.

There are several outstanding sequences in the movie. The torture sequences leading to the coerced confession are disturbing to say the least. Also, the courtroom finale leaves the viewer speechless. The script-writer and the director also deserve credit for taking such a politically charged subject matter and yet, giving a fair portrayal without assuming and advocating particular ideological positions. Instead, they give us a heartbreaking and poignant portrayal of the casualties of war in the Irish conflict. The detailing is impeccable and recreation of the time and atmosphere is highly convincing.

However, the film is not without its flaws. The movie tries to be two things at once: on one hand it is a father-son saga and a tale of personal transformation; on the other, it is a study of the human rights violations that took place in the course of the Irish conflict in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, the two don't square up as well as one would expect. After the bone-chilling nature of the initial reels, the prison sequences seem long, overdrawn, monotonous and quite out of place at times with the tone and tenor the movie took when it started out. While you feel strongly for the characters and their experiences, the story tends to stagnate beyond a point the impact is diluted after a while. Editing the prison sequences by a good 15 minutes would have helped this movie achieve the greatness it deserved. Another complaint is that the battle inside and out of the courts towards the end is given much lesser footage than it should have. It would have been interesting to see how did Gerry Conlon's case get the support it did and the process through which the campaign was successful.

Nevertheless, the film owes a great deal of its strength to the performances of its actors. Daniel Day-Lewis proves that he is perhaps, the most interesting and powerful actors of his generation by taking on a difficult role like that of Gerry Conlon and pulling it off with aplomb. He brings out the transformation of his character so naturally that this alone makes the movie worth your time and money. He is the soul of the film. At the same time, there are superb performances pitched in by Pete Postlethwaite and Emma Thompson. Pete Postlethwaite gives his character the dignity and quiet pride that are central to it. Emma Thompson is given a small but significant role and gets her moment to shine in court in the final scene. Tom Wilkinson can also be seen in the minor role in the end.

Overall, "In the Name of the Father" is a important film. It is a very good film that, sadly, shies away from greatness. Nevertheless, Daniel Day-Lewis's performance is one of the finest in contemporary cinema and is one to be remembered. Solid Recommendation!