In the Name of the Father

Plot synopsis:
Story of Gerry Conlon, purported ringleader of the Guildford Four, a group of three Irishmen and one English woman wrongly imprisoned for the 1974 IRA bombing of a pub in Guildford, England, that left five people dead. Conlon's father Guiseppe was subsequently imprisoned along with six other Conlon relatives who became known as the Maguire Seven.=====================================The story opens with a flash-forward to the bombing of a pub in the Guildford suburb of London. The pub, frequented by British soldiers, was targeted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) as an act of terrorism.A woman driving a car listens to a cassette recording of Gerry Conlon, a Northern Irish political prisoner. Gerry speaks of his younger years living in Belfast where he'd steal lead sheets from the roofs of row houses & sell them. One day, while holding a piece of piping, he's shot at by British soldiers who mistake him for a sniper, believing the pipe is a rifle. Gerry runs into the streets and through several homes while being chased. He inadvertently starts a small riot and joins the mob throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails. Members of the IRA, who'd been using one of the houses Gerry runs through as a munitions cache, find Gerry and threaten to shoot him in the leg. Gerry's father, Giuseppe, told by his daughters that their brother is in trouble, rushes to the scene and talks to the IRA leader, who tells Giuseppe that they are just trying to scare Gerry into behaving. Giuseppe decides to send Gerry by boat to London in the hopes that he'll find work & avoid the Troubles in Belfast.On the boat to London, Gerry meets his friend Paul Hill. The two arrive in London & go immediately to a squatter's house where their friend Patrick Armstrong lives with a small group of hippies. Gerry and Paul also visit the home of his aunt, Annie MaGuire. Gerry and Paul seem to enjoy their time in London until one day one of Patrick's British friends, Jim, acts hostile toward them & they decide to leave the squat. They wander through London, finally settling on a bench in a park where they're accosted by a homeless man, Charlie Burke, who's carved his initials into the bench. Charlie is Irish and they talk for a time. Paul and Gerry continue to walk through London until they pass the house of a prostitute. She refuses to talk to them when they try to return the wallet she drops. Gerry walks into her unlocked apartment and finds a stash of money in her bedroom. Gerry takes the money and the two spend the night in a hotel.In Guilford, the bomb goes off in the soldier's pub, killing five people, four of whom are in the military. The British police begin to hunt for suspects. Not long before, legislation, the Prevention of Terrorism Act, is passed in Parliament that allows the British police to hold potential suspects for seven days before they are formally charged.Gerry returns to Belfast and rejoins his family. In London, Jim, who'd been hostile to Gerry and Paul talks to the police and identifies the two as troublemakers. Paul, who'd remained in London, is arrested & Gerry recognizes him on TV by his shoes. A few days later the Brits invade the Conlon home and arrest Gerry, taking him back to London. Gerry is held without formal charges and is tortured and interrogated, being kept awake for seven days straight. He is beaten severely and forced to look at the forensic photos of the victims. His interrogators also tell him that his aunt Annie is being charged as well with bombmaking, operating out of her home.
Eventually, Paul is brought to Gerry, having confessed himself, and he tells Gerry to do the same. Gerry still refuses to cooperate until one of the policemen threatens to kill his father. Gerry relents and signs his name to a false statement of confession to the bombings.Gerry and Paul, Paddy Armstrong and their friend Carole Richardson, known collectively as the Guildford Four, are charged with the bombings. While in a processing facility awaiting trial, Gerry's father is also brought in, accused of being part of the bombmaking conspiracy involving Annie Maguire. Giuseppe talks to Gerry, who feels that his rough relationship with his father turned him to thievery and that he was destined to get into trouble like this. Gerry has a minor, brief breakdown but his father is able to calm him.The trial begins under heavy security. The prosecution contends that Gerry, Paul, Patrick and Carole committed the bombings, however solid evidence is lacking and they only have the confessions made by the accused, which the police commissioner, Dickson, claims were not obtained under duress. Annie Maguire & her family are accused of bombmaking, a group that includes her youngest son, who was also beaten into confessing. On the witness stand, Gerry admits that he robbed the hooker's home and that he & Paul met Charlie Burke in the park. The prosecution claims no knowledge of Burke's existence.The trial ends with the Guilford Four being found guilty. All are given lengthy sentences, Gerry's is a minimum of 30 years. The judge makes a point of stating that he'd give Gerry the death penalty for treason if Gerry had been so accused. Giuseppe is also sentenced to 15 years for smuggling explosives to Annie Maguire. Gerry himself develops an intense hatred for lawyers.In voiceover we hear Gerry speaking on the tapes that he's made up for an attorney named Gareth Peirce. She goes to the park where Paul and Gerry met Charlie Burke & even finds his name carved into the bench.Giuseppe & Gerry are sent to Park Royal, a maximum security prison. Barker, the prison's warder, makes Gerry & his father wear blue outfits with yellow stripes, branding them as the worst criminal population. The prison is mostly inhabited by English convicts and any Irish prisoners are ostracized and persecuted. Gerry falls in with a small group of Jamaicans who have a large supply of LSD disguised as a jigsaw puzzle. Gerry spends time getting stoned with them but his father disapproves. Gerry promises to stay off the drugs, even after Giuseppe dies.Gerry meets another Irish convict named Joe McAndrews. Joe reveals that he and his people were responsible for the Guilford Pub bombings and for smuggling the explosives used in the attack. McAndrews informs the police that they're holding innocent people for the crime but British police still refuse to let them out. McAndrews is shunned and persecuted like every other Irish prisoner, even starting a fight with the minions of a hulking Brit named Ronnie Smalls. McAndrews threatens to kill Smalls' family since he knows their address. Smalls backs off. McAndrews and Gerry also stage a protest to call attention to the Conlons' innocence, seizing control of the cellblock for a brief period until Barker sends in a riot squad to retake the prison by violent force. After the seizure is quelled, during a screening of The Godfather for the prison population, McAndrews sprays Barker with lighter fluid and sets him aflame. Gerry, shocked by the horror of McAndrews' violent methods, separates himself from his fellow countryman. McAndrews is remanded to a different prison.Gareth Peirce becomes the Conlons' attorney through Gerry's mother's influence. Gerry instantly dislikes Gareth but is gradually convinced she means to help him and his father. A campaign to prove the innocence of the Conlons & the Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven begins to gain popularity. Giuseppe, despite increasingly debilitating respiratory problems, manages some of the campaign from his and Gerry's cell. After the burning of Barker, Gerry tells his father he'll help with the campaign. Peirce gives Gerry a tape recorder and tells him to recount every detail of his life.One night Gerry notices his father has stopped breathing. He's able to revive Giuseppe long enough to have him transported out of the prison for medical care, however, Gerry is not permitted to accompany his father. A priest later visits Gerry to tell him that his father died.Gerry continues to meet with Peirce, developing a tremendous amount of trust for her. He continues Giuseppe's campaign work in earnest. The British government tries to transfer him to a Scottish prison to prevent him from working the campaign and meeting with Peirce but the effort fails.Peirce reviews the judiciary files of the Conlons court case. She's only allowed to view Giuseppe's files on the orders of Dickson. One day she visits the court archives and inadvertently passes a nasty cold on to the court clerk. A few days later she visits the archives again and finds a man substituting for the clerk. The man behind the counter asks Peirce if she wants the files for either Giuseppe or Gerry Conlon. Peirce seizes the opportunity to view Gerry's files and finds a folder containing the statement made by Charlie Burke that could vindicate Gerry himself. Attached to the statement is a handwritten note from Dickson himself that reads "Not to be shown to the defence". Peirce steals the file and begins to build a new case and trial for Gerry and the members of the Guilford Four.The Four are brought back to London. Gareth leads their defense and, following an impassioned recounting of the sentences handed down to the Four and Annie Maguire's family, presents Charlie Burke's statement to the court. She accuses Dickson openly of destroying the lives of the defendants and of their complicity in the death of Giuseppe Conlon. The judge calls for order and reviews the evidence and declares that the Four are innocent and free to go. However, the judge refuses to charge Dickson or his accomplices with any misconduct and also does not declare the late Giuseppe innocent. Gerry and Paul refuse to be escorted from the building by the bailiffs. Gerry, standing with his family, makes a statement to the media in front of the court building saying he'll carry on the campaign to clear his father's name.

Tags: tragedy, dramatic, violence, historical, realism

Review:
Based on a true and very touching story, the film recounts the story of Gerry Conlon (Day-Lewis) who is wrongly accused as an IRA terrorist.
Although there have been some minor modifications for the purpose of the film, the backbone of the story is left completely intact.The two protagonists, Daniel Day-Liewis and Pete Postlethwaithe are delivering powerful performances, and they both deserved the Oscar hands-down.
The Conlons had the terribly bad luck to be at the wrong place, in the wrong time, and with the wrong nationality; the also have the great misfortune to be captured by people who in their quest to show results were shamelessly willing to risk indicting people who could possibly be innocent."In the Name of the Father" is a fantastic film, which one should not miss.
Gerry Conlon is a small time Belfast thief who gets excluded from Northern Ireland by the IRA for anti-social behaviour and goes to live in England with his old school friend Paul Hill.
Of course the material also helps from a great cast that deliver well and do their bit to keep it edgy and not sentimental.Day-Lewis is a very good actor and he does well here making his Gerry go through the stages of being a cheeky young man, frightened, shell-shocked, defeated, angry and then driven without us ever thinking he is a different character.
Some terrific scenes include the beginning, when Gerry and his friends are chased by British soldiers after being mistaken for IRA snipers, the trial in London, the prison scenes (which expose the loneliness and honesty of the characters rather than the crude violence and gang rapes of so many other pathetic prison movies), and of course the powerful ending, where the marvelous dramatic talents of all the actors are evinced in a final crescendo.
He spends 15 years in jail, fighting for his innocence and for truth.After working with Daniel Day Lewis in "My left foot", director Jim Sheridan teams again with the actor for this drama.
Day Lewis performance in "My left foot" was awarded with an Oscar, but the actor could have been given the same prize for his play of Gerry Conlon.Strong screenplay, actors and soundtrack -with music of Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer and songs of Irish stars Bono and Sinead O'Connor..
It still remains very impressive and the idea that injustice in the name of protecting the country should be allowed is awful and so it is good that at least some movie makers aren't afraid to protest against it.The movie tells the story about Gerry Conlon and his old school friend Paul Hill.
Despite some liberties taken with history, the film still makes a strong point, however.Daniel Day-Lewis plays Gerry Conlon, a young man falsely accused along with several other friends and family members, of bombing a London pub in 1974.
Pete Postlethwaite is another example of fine acting as he is the best actor in England since who ever was the last greatest actor.Daniel Day Lewis plays Gerry Conlon who is a seventies hippie who doesn't want to grow up.
But when Gerry gets there he might as well wish he never went there in the first place as the trouble from Belfast follows him and before you know it a bomb goes off in a pub near to where he is staying and is not long arrested for the bomb along with his friends and family including his father.From there we are taken into this grieving story of strength, hope, tragedy and family.
Jim Sheridan's astonishingly fantastic 'In the Name of the Father' tells the brutally direct story of a wrongfully accused family who are tortured into making a false confession and imprisoned by the British justice system.
Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a suitably explosive performance as he breathes fire into the role while Pete Postlethwaite is sublime and equally outstanding as Gerry's father, Giuseppe.
I do not see this film as being political nonsense at all.Rather it serves as a warning of what can happen when blanket stereotyping is allowed to influence the course of justice.As Gareth Peirce (impressively portrayed by the excellent Emma Thompson) points out, the only reason Giueseppe Conlon and Co were tried in the first place was on the shaky premise that "they were bloody well Irish".
As Irish people living in England in the 1970s, they must therefore have been terrorists.Logical?I thought not.The authorities never thought for a second that they might actually have been trying to escape that nonsense through carving out a new life for themselves in England.With a British public baying for blood, the police capitulated by picking up the first "paddies" they found and making an example of them, without making any serious efforts to root out the real perpetrators and ensuring they were rendered incapable of causing more harm through doling out lengthy imprisonments to them, as opposed to ruining the lives of an innocent family.Ironically of course such actions could well have served to make terrorist sympathisers out of the Conlons through the horrific treatment meted out to them!It didn't of course but there is always the danger in that type of case that a person could become embittered to that extent.Obviously given the unstable climate of the time Irish people in England were sometimes regarded with suspicion,yet the fact remains that the events portrayed in the film were unacceptable in a supposed western democracy committed to the rule of law.While neither side was entirely innocent the fact remains that England was undeniably culpable in this instance, and the judiciary involved in the case must bear full responsibilty for the devestating effects of their knee-jerk ruling, given to appease an irrational and hysterical public.In this respect the Conlons and Co can viably be seen by some as "Irish martyrs".
While I am no fan of Hollywood fare which seeks to glamourise Irish terrorists at the expense of England who is invariably portrayed as the cold and unrelenting oppressor (inaccurate and unfair in the present day I feel) I strongly believe that in this case the criticism and negative portrayal of the English legal system is justified to a considerable extent.The film has especial resonance and significance for us today in the wake of al-Quaeda and the resultant perceptions of Muslims as a whole as being "the enemy" in certain quarters.The recent incarceration of an innocent Syrian who had lived his entire adult life in Canada, and who was imprisoned purely on the basis of his ethnicity, only serves to remind us of the perils of "judging a book by its cover" and making snap judgements, a danger which is admirably illustrated in this well-acted film..
IRA plays indeed an important rule in the events, but the main thing is that this movie is the true story of a family that has been destroyed by the madness of the time, by the need of a scapegoat to pay for all the crimes that were committed.
Containing brilliant performances from Pete Postelthwaite & Daniel Day Lewis as father & son Conlon respectively, In The Name of The Father is a truly great film that demands not only your head, but also your heart.
Only thing that can be fair in this world is your HEART !!Though Daniel Day Lewis' character is not your typical role model from the start, you know that the Heart within isn't black (more so from a scene just before he says 'In all my godforsaken life, I've never known what it was to kill somebody until now')..The transformation of Day Lewis' character from a man who wasn't responsible enough to take care of himself to a man who vows to fight for his father's name is brilliantly heartwarming!It just pains me to see how cruel 'WE' as a species can be to not accept our mistakes, even when we know that it can make someone's life miserable than HELL!!In all the movie is good till the time you don't think of it as someone's life being played out in front of you.As soon as you realize that,it transforms into something you cant just think of as just another brilliant movie.Instead your heart goes out to the people who actually had to go through all this..Well directed, superbly acted, brilliant,heart breaking and heart warming at the same time !!Those who found it beautiful can go for 'Conviction' as their next choice of another heartwarming 'eye treat' !.
Based on real life events following Gerald Conlon ( Daniel Day-Lewis) a carefree wild youth who is accused of the Guildford bombing and imprisoned after coerced confession.
Daniel Day-Lewis is reliable as ever playing a real-life character that goes through a transformation from an energetic wild youth to an introspective determined son.Terrifying but biased premise with a superb performance by Pete Postlethwaite.
After all, it has a lot going for it: great acting (particularly from its headlining stars: Day-Lewis, Postlethwaite and Thompson), solid and assured direction as well as, obviously, a thought-provoking story about four individuals who were wrongly imprisoned for over 15 years for a crime they did not commit (as well as seven others sent to prison on separate charges).
Pete Postlethwaite's and Daniel Day-Lewis' incredible reenactment of father and son wrongly convicted for the 1974 Guildford pub bombings and their different approaches on trying to get the case appealed.
Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a rebellious young Irishman who ends up being wrongly accused of the crime, and gets life in prison along with three other friends.
I always thought the actions of Daniel Day-Lewis better than the own film, more in this film we have a different case, the actions of Daniel Day-Lewis is good as the film in the Name of the Father is a film that portrays a great injustice, the cast is very good, Daniel Day-Lewis in my opinion is his second best performance, losing to Lincoln only Pete Postlethwaite, Emma Thompson, Beatie Edney, Corin Redgrave, Mark Sheppard, etc., the direction is the competent Jim Sheridan, the soundtrack is excellent, the costumes is very good, the pace is good, the more times the pace gets a little slow, in the Name of the Father is one of the best films of the glorious decade of 90, with a great cast and an impeccable performance of Daniel Day-Lewis.
He manages to have a film with an important message, but it draws you in with complex, real characters and grippingly beautiful storytelling.And of course it has a stellar cast with nothing but excellent performances from Daniel Day Lewis, Emma Thompson, Pete Postlethwaite.
I was sailing when I got this DVD , I dint have anything else to watch so I just played it to get my free time handled,I was totally blown when I was halfway through the movie,It starts with Daniel day Lewis playing as Gerry being this carefree guy and living life to the fullest, but something happens and he gets arrested ,till here the story was just normal ,but at a critical point there comes a person in the prison unexpectedly who changes his life forever.
Besides the story, which is good (and even better when you keep in the back of your mind that it really happened), the best of this movie is Daniel Day-Lewis' acting.
After I watched the movie , I spent hours contemplating on Gerry Conlon and the loss he suffered.Daniel Day Lewis is simply stunning .
He stays in the character, he does what he needs to do to be in the character and completely shows on screen which he has a very strong presence.At the same time, not to forget Pete who plays Gerry's father and they share the same prison cell in the movie.
In the movie In the Name of the Father, we get a story involving injustice - people who are accused and found guilty of crimes they didn't commit - but why it works is centrally two things: even if you don't know a thing about the IRA (though it might help to know just a little) or the struggles in Belfast in the 1970's and how it involved the United Kingdom, people see injustice happening every day, with many races.
But trickier, and what works greater, is the father son element of the story, where Daniel Day Lewis is Gerry Conlon is in prison for life along with his father (a very innocent man) Giuseppe, who is there for the simple reason of accused corroboration.In a way it's probably the most accessible film that has been made, that I can think of off the top of my head, about the controversies and "war" of the IRA over the years.
Led by magnificent acting performances and great direction, In the Name of the Father offers the audience a terrific reenactment of one of the most infamous miscarriages of justice in the history of Britain, as it portrays the story of Gerry Conlon and his father, and the false accusations made against them in regards to the Guildford pub bombings in 1974.
Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite give extremely passionate performances, as they serve as the centerpiece for a film that strikes a strong balance between exploring the estranged father-son relationship and the surrounding political issues.
Daniel Day Lewis gives an unsurprisingly good performance but the crown goes to Pete Postlethwaite in his role as Patrick "Giuseppe" Conlon, Paul's father.
He is without a doubt one of the best actors of our time.Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day Lewis) grew up in Belfast in the 70's when the IRA terrorist attacks were at its peak.
In prison, Gerry and his father continue to fight to prove their innocence with the help of an attorney named Gareth Pierce (Emma Thompson) and the more she digs into the story the more corruption she finds in the police procedures.The film manages to draw you in and make your blood boil due to all the injustices suffered by these characters.
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 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.
When it comes to In the Name of the Father, it was like being reminded of how powerful a performance could be and how films can truly reach into your heart and affect you.I don't know what makes Daniel Day-Lewis' performance so effective but I thought it was very much so.
This probably has little to do with this film in particular but as Roger Ebert has said (roughly), movies should be about emotions and ideas not facts.So, I think what makes In the Name of the Father so effective is that its a personal film with a very talented cast, a good story and a director that knows how to let the magic happen.
Sheridan hit a bulls-eye with Daniel Day-Lewis in the key role of Gerry Conlon (which I think most directors do when they choose to hire one of our greatest cinematic heroes), but it was the surprise performance by the typical secondary character actor Pete Postlethwaite that shook me to the core.
Pleading their innocence to an unsympathetic jury and public had got them nowhere, so they were left to fight for their freedom from the inside.As father and son Giuseppe and Gerry Conlon, both Pete Postlethwaite and Daniel Day-Lewis give passionate and outstanding performances as they struggle with both their failed relationship and the battle to prove their innocence.
The tragic, moving story of how the "Guildford Four" lost their freedom, and fifteen years of their lives, for something they were never a part of makes for a most upsetting and aggravating film.The powerhouse performances from leads Day-Lewis and Postlethwaite are sensational, as is Emma Thompson's showing as compassionate lawyer Gareth Pierce.Not seeing this film would almost be as grave an injustice as was that which befell these innocent people.Monday, June 12, 1995 - Video.
Gerry has to deal with pent-up aggression that he has built up against his father for years while also trying to survive in a British prison as an accused IRA member.Even after Joe McAndrew (Don Baker) is arrested and confesses to the police that he was behind the Guildford bombing and the people they have in prison were innocent, Gerry and Giuseppe remain in prison suffering more and more by the day.
Based on the true story of Gerry Conlon who in 1974 was falsely accused of blowing up an IRA bomb in an English pub, being tortured and coerced into signing a confession of a crime he did not commit, resulting in his imprisonment along with his father.
In the film, Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a trouble young man who would rather explore free love and dope than get a real job.
After several hours of torture and torment, Gerry is forced to sign confessions and, eventually be sent to jail along with his family for the accused making of the bomb.A great father-to-son relationship is developed throughout the Conlon's time in prison.
Instead, In The Name of the Father, the audience is exposed to a beautifully crafted film portraying the injustice of the Guildford Four trial, with the central focus regarding the emotional conflict between father and son."In the Name of the Father" remains faithful to the story of Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis), a man wrongfully accused of the Guildford pub bombing in London, 1974.