Saipan (2025)

Saipan (2025)

*Saipan* is a 2025 sports film revisiting one of football’s most infamous falling-outs — the Saipan incident between Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy in the lead-up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, the film traces the weeks and months that culminated in a dramatic clash at Ireland’s training camp on the remote Pacific island of Saipan.

Steve Coogan plays Mick McCarthy, while Éanna Hardwicke — a BAFTA-nominated actor from Cork — portrays the fiery Irish captain Roy Keane. It’s inspired casting, and both actors deliver powerhouse performances, particularly when pitted against each other in scenes that crackle with tension and dark humor. The film is at its most entertaining when it reduces the conflict to what it always really was: two strains of modern Irish manhood, utterly unwilling to back down.

At its core, *Saipan* is a story of ego, loyalty, and identity that resonates well beyond the world of football. Writer Paul Fraser’s script explores two impossibly complicated personalities and the consequences of pride taken too far — a dynamic that gives the film much of its dramatic weight. Yet it never loses its sense of humor, managing to be both riveting and uproariously funny in equal measure.

The period atmosphere is richly rendered, with a Madchester and indie-heavy soundtrack featuring the likes of The Stone Roses, Fontaines D.C., and Oasis that perfectly captures the early 2000s mood. Critics have broadly praised the film, with a strong reception on the festival circuit and a Rotten Tomatoes score sitting at 93%.

Not everyone is convinced — some members of the actual 2002 squad have called it cartoonish and inaccurate — but for general audiences, *Saipan* is a thoroughly entertaining and surprisingly profound sports comedy.

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