In the Name of the Father

Directed by Jim Sheridan, In the Name of the Father follows Irish father (Pete Postlethwaite’s Giuseppe) and son (Daniel Day-Lewis’ Gerry) as they’re falsely arrested and imprisoned for a deadly political bombing. Filmmaker Sheridan, armed with his and Terry George’s screenplay, delivers an overlong yet consistently engaging drama that benefits from its inherently compelling subject matter and raft of top-notch performances, as, in terms of the latter, the picture is anchored by Day-Lewis’ commanding and often electrifying turn as the entirely sympathetic central character – with the actor’s lived-in work certainly matched by Postlethwaite’s fantastic (and ultimately heartbreaking) turn. And while the 133 minute runtime admittedly does result in a small handful of narrative lulls, In the Name of the Father primarily comes off as a powerful true-life tale that’s been suffused with several engrossing sequences and set-pieces – with the inclusion of a moving and thoroughly satisfying final stretch ensuring that the whole thing concludes on a seriously positive, memorable note.

*** out of ****