In the Name of the Father (1993)

A man's coerced confession to an I.R.A. bombing he did not commit results in the imprisonment of his father as well. An English lawyer fights to free them.

Director:

Jim Sheridan

Writers:

Gerry Conlon (autobiographical book "Proved Innocent"), Terry George (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Alison Crosbie

Top Rated Movies #186 | Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 35 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alison Crosbie	...	Girl in Pub
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Gerry Conlon
Philip King	...	Guildford Soldier
Emma Thompson	...	Gareth Peirce
Nye Heron	...	IRA Man 1
Anthony Brophy	...	Danny
Frankie McCafferty	...	Tommo
Paul Warriner	...	Soldier
Julian Walsh	...	Soldier
Stuart Wolfenden	...	Soldier (as Stuart Wolvenden)
Jo Connor	...	Bin Lady
Karen Carlisle	...	Female Rioter
Seamus Moran	...	IRA Man 2
Billy Byrne	...	IRA Man 3
Maureen McBride	...	Mother

Storyline

Young Belfastian Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) admits that he was in London at the time of the incident. He also admits that he is not a model citizen, having committed a petty robbery while in London. He does however profess his innocence when it comes to the bombing of the Guildford Pub in London in 1974, the event which killed several people inside. A self-professed non-political person, he and his three co-accused, dubbed the Guildford Four, are thought to be provisional members of the I.R.A. Their self-professed innocence is despite each having signed a statement of guilt which they claim were signed under duress. Their case includes having provable alibis for the time frame of the bombing. And eventually, Joe McAndrew (Don Baker), a known I.R.A. member, admits to the bombing. Dubbed the Maguire Seven, seven others, primarily members of Gerry's extended family including his father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite), are accused of being accessories to the bombing. Following on the ...

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Plot Keywords:

prison | father son relationship | based on true story | anti irish bias | psychological manipulation | 

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Taglines:

Falsely accused. Wrongly imprisoned. He fought for justice to clear his father's name.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and politically-geneRated violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson were considered for the role of Gerry Conlon.

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Goofs

In court, Inspector Dixon states that he "never even spoke to Gerry Conlon". Some minutes later when Gerry Conlon is being interrogated, the accused says "You told Inspector Dixon that you had committed a robbery" holding Gerry's statement. There's proof that Inspector Dixon and Gerry spoke, thus making his testimony in court false. Any defendant attorney would have noticed this.

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Quotes

Gerry Conlon: That was a good day's work, McAndrew. A good day's work.
Joe McAndrew: Get away from me.
Gerry Conlon: You're not looking me in the eye when you're speaking to me. You see, I know how to look at people without blinking as well. In all my god-forsaken life I have never known what it was like to want to kill somebody until now. You're a brave man, Joe. A brave man.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Daniel Day-Lewis Performances (2014)

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Soundtracks

Billy Boola
Performed by Gavin Friday and Bono
Written by Bono / Gavin Friday (as Friday) / Maurice Seezer (as Seezer)
Published by Blue Mountain Music (UK)
Mother Music/Blue Mountain Music (Eire)
Taiyo Music/Blue Mountain Music (Japan)
Polygram Music/Blue Mountain Music (ROW)
(P) 1993 Island Records Limited

User Reviews

Guilty Until Proven Innocent...

You're left wondering how many people over the years have been through the legal system in the UK and have been framed by those we place the ultimate trust within. It really does shake your confidence in a system and the people responsible for implementing it. Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite bring this story to life with two magnificent performances and allow you to forgive those slight variations that misalign with actual events.

Details

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

In the Name of the Father

Filming Locations:

Upper Thames Street, City of London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$109,805, 2 January 1994

Gross USA:

$25,096,862

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$65,796,862

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hell's Kitchen Films, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1