Jim Sheridan's Finest Feature. One of Daniel Day-Lewis' Finest Performances.

Rating: Null/10 (11 October 2013)

Based on the true events surrounding the IRA bombing of 1974 in England, In the Name of the Father tells the story of Gerry Conlon; a small time thief who, along with his friends, is falsely accused of committing the heinous crime & after being coerced into confessing guilty by the British police during the brutal interrogation is sentenced to prison life along with his father who is also implicated in the crime during the trial. The story covers 15 years of Conlon's wrongful imprisonment during which he tries to prove his innocence with the help of a British attorney.
This is the 2nd collaboration between Jim Sheridan & Daniel Day-Lewis after My Left Foot and presents Sheridan in complete control of his craftsmanship & Day-Lewis at the top of his game. The real-life character of Gerry Conlon is magnificently brought to life by Day-Lewis & he was simply at his best during the interrogation scene, making it the film's most intense sequence. Also, the scenes between Gerry & his father, played amazingly well by Pete Postlethwaite, are its finest moments and the two shared an amazing chemistry together.
On an overall scale, In the Name of the Father is one of those films that leaves little to complain about and is a brilliantly directed, deftly written, tightly edited, strongly performed & elegantly composed cinema that also features best works in the directional career of Jim Sheridan & acting career of Pete Postlethwaite. Daniel Day-Lewis' contribution here often gets overlooked but, in my opinion, it's right there amongst his finest performances. All in all, In the Name of the Father is one of the best films of its year and is a must watch for anyone who appreciates great cinema. Strongly recommended.