Remarkable and moving

Rating: 10/10 (23 October 2004)

This is a moving film on many levels. Firstly, it recounts a case of terrible injustice on the part of the British legal system, during a time when relations between the British and the Irish were in chaos. Underneath this is a moving story of how a young man's foolishness and bad luck lands him and his family in the worst of situations, and how in that situation he grows and matures. There are moments of true pain and true tenderness, between Gerry and his father as they share the prison cell. There are also moments of goodness and evil on both sides of the "war", moments of weakness with terrible consequences. Daniel Day-Lewis gives an incredible performance as Gerry, with a vivacity that pervades the film, and his father's calm strength adds a perfect balance. In the Name of the Father is a film you will not regret seeing and will not soon forget.