Final Rating: 3/5
Ask not what our country can do for us…Lisa Baros D’Sa and Glenn Layburn’s Saipan, from a script by Paul Fraser, chronicles the tumultuous training sessions of the Irish national football team in the lead up to the 2002 Japan World Cup, and the will he or won’t he play questions surrounding their star captain Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke). For those of us who remember this era (perhaps even own the green jersey) this was a story heard across not just the football world, but made news headlines as well.
Keane was coming off an injury with his club team Manchester United, and became a focal point of criticism and sympathy among fans for his decision. The fallout over his refusal to play for his nation was parsed and speculated over, even to this day. As the picture is painted, what the film captures is both sides of that story while generally prudent in not being overly judgemental of the individuals involved.
After qualifying at the last moments, the Irish venture to Saipan to train in order to acclimate to the heat, and perhaps have a little fun in the sun. The latter part didn’t sit well with Keane who was anything but an easy going personality. He’s sick and tired of the Irish not being taken seriously, as he puts it just there “to sing the songs” and demands better like the more serious footballing nations expect. Much of the pressure and blame seems to be heaped directly on manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan).
The dichotomy of Mick is perhaps the most fascinating as he seems brash and brimming with confidence at times, in particular when speaking with the media, however, like the rest in the program at times is walking on egg shells to appease their enigmatic star. This essentially plays out as a battle of egos and who will bend first. By Keane’s own admission he’s used to the best of everything, as a star on the legendary Manchester United squad and under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson. He expects the best and demands it of those around him. This promptly comes to a head when they arrive and suffice to say many of the little things are just not up to standard, like the broken air conditioning or not having, you know, footballs.
The team begin what preparations they can, mixing in the odd round of golf, but Keane is not happy from the get go and threatens to quit early on, calling his wife Theresa (Harriet Cains) to let her know he’s torn and wants to leave. As the days count down towards the tournament, and after much consternation, the seemingly unending will he or won’t he, and a very heated exchange with his manager and teammates, including questioning their commitment and Irishness, Keane has had enough and heads home to his family, forgoing the tournament.
The Irish of course play it off as if he was sent home for insubordination, which is not a stretch, and head to Japan. They eventually made it to the round of sixteen with Keane at home, losing in a shootout to Spain, somewhat vindicating this decision. It does however lead one to ask what they may have done with him, or would his domineering presence have taken away from the team’s spirit?
Overall it’s a standard sort of biopic, with solid performances, that perhaps leaves more questions than answers about what should or could have been done, but the subject matter itself is one for which there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer. It is one footy fans should enjoy, but may need the luck of the Irish to branch out to a wider audience.
Saipan was seen during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
