Courtroom Classic

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2015)

Courtroom drama's are always prime for great cinema. In the Name of the Father is no different. It shouldn't come as any surprise with Daniel Day-Lewis as the lead, and he is incredible as Gerry Conlon, a wrongfully convicted terrorist in 1970's London. I have to admit I didn't know much about the bombings upon viewing, so this whole story came as a shock to me. But the film is a really good eye opener and reminder that no one is guilty until proved innocent, and then some.
Pete Postlethwaite and Emma Thompson were both nominated for supporting roles and they really do carry this film. I would almost say more so than Day-Lewis. I knew he would give a killer performance but i didn't know the other two had this in them, especially Postlethwaite. The film also closely deals with the relationship between Gerry and his father. The many ups and downs they go through as a result of being in a jail for so many years. Gerry is a scoundrel at best towards the beginning. They show him stealing right off the bat to give us the impression that this may be a character you may not be able to trust. In fact, I wasn't even sure if I could trust him up until he was being beaten by the detectives to sign the confession.
I will say I wasn't a huge fan of the direction to begin the film. Jim Sheridan had a knack for choppy directing early on that was hard to follow. But once the film settles in and gets going as a true courtroom genre, the film takes off. I also like that the film tackles the issue of non-violent vs. violent protests and tactics in a fair way. It isn't clear to me that the filmmakers believe one way or the other is the way to go. And I think that's the right way to go about it.
+All the performances
+Tension built in the court
-Choppy directing to start
8.4/10