so much for civilized England

Rating: 10/10 (6 February 2006)

We Americans often like to think of England as the most civilized place on Earth. "In the Name of the Father" shows that this is unfortunately not true. It's the true story of Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis), a rowdy Northern Irishman who got imprisoned by the British government for a crime that he didn't commit. Specifically, they tortured him to the point that he signed a confession. So, he was sent to jail with some other Northern Irish people - including his father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite) - and forced to experience fifteen years of brutality from every angle.
This is one of those movies that cuts right to the heart of a touchy issue. Regardless of which opinion you take of the situation in Northern Ireland, this is a movie that everyone should see, just to understand the cruel lengths to which governments can go when they think that they're right. I've heard Daniel Day-Lewis described as the world's most devoted actor; "In the Name of the Father" certainly backs that up, and I would definitely say that this is Jim Sheridan's best movie ever.