In the heat of Saipan, a small island off the Philippines’ east coast, one of the world’s most famous footballers launched a now infamous tirade, leaving his country marooned. Roy Keane’s 2002 bust-up with then Ireland-head coach, Mick McCarthy, is the stuff of football folklore, but it’s only now, a full double decade later, that we get to witness the implications of this front AND back-page story, blow up in glorious detail on the silver screen.
Labelled by The Guardian as “a rare football film worth a replay”, Saipan picks apart the squalid conditions of the Republic of Ireland’s comically awful training camp, ahead of the 2002 World Cup tournament in Japan & South Korea. But to fully grasp the granular detail of Keane’s messiah-like status to the men in Green, context is key…
Whilst many nations were worshipped on arrival in the Far East (‘Saipan’ even picks apart Keane’s irate jealousy at the treatment of his Manchester United team-mate, David Beckham, who was mobbed by thousands of adoring Asian fans during the peak of “Golden Balls-mania” when the England team landed at a Japanese airport), the Irish were seen as “nearly men”… Plucky underdogs who were there to make up the numbers.
However, in the shape of Keane, the captain of the most successful British club side of all time, there was a feeling that McCarthy’s men could finally elevate themselves to ‘dark horse’ status, having already eliminated the much-fancied Netherlands, and drew twice with Luis Figo’s Portugal during a qualification campaign where Keane – at the peak of his career – stood colossal for the nation, performing at his imperious best.
Like the modern equivalents of Poland’s Robert Lewandowski or Wales with Gareth Bale, a previously unfancied nation were now pinning their entire hopes on their solitary World Class talent. Enter the fantastic Eanna Hardwicke, whose portrayal of the Cork-born midfielder, is eerily similar, right down to the flare of his sniffing nostrils, or open-mouthed rage at declining standards he summarises as clearly some levels beneath his own.
Facing up to McCarthy himself in the shape of legendary Brit Steve Coogan, (who continues to portray fantastic versatility on the big screen after his roles in ‘Philomena’ and ‘The Penguin Lessons’), the movie’s focus on the rapidly declining relations between captain and manager runs through the entire narrative like a toxic vein pulsating through the heart of Ireland’s World Cup preparations. There are side characters, too, like the portrayal of dim-witted Scouser Jason McAteer, and lanky striker Niall Quinn who plays the elder statesman of the side, and voice of reason to Keane, but none whom encapsulate the screen with the brimming venom of Hardwicke.
Intertwined with archive footage from the like of BBC News, Match of the Day, and Newsnight, the movie cuts between iconic moments of Keane’s career; The good in the shape of his treble-triumph heroics in ‘99, the bad in the form of leg snapping revenge on Alfie Haaland in ‘01, and now finally the ugly here in Saipan. But perhaps the most gut-wrenching theme in the closing stages of this exposé of life behind Eire lines in 2002, is saved for the finale, when McCarthy and Keane attempt to reconcile over one final phone-call, in the wake of a heated and expletive filled Saipan row, where Roy drops numerous F, and singular, C-bomb(s).
On the eve of the tournament, Captain Fantastic is offered one final route to redemption, but overcome with pride, and an insatiably stubborn ego, he foregoes his chance to become a global superstar on the World stage, on account of having to apologise to his arch nemesis. His country, defiant in his absence, salvage vital draws against Cameroon and Germany before comprehensively dismantling Saudi Arabia and tragically losing a penalty shoot-out to Spain in the knockout stage. Keane – besieged with defiance from Saipan – never played in a World Cup again, and just 3 years later, was famously turfed out of his club for… You guessed it, a row with his manager.
How does Saipan compare to your favourite films of 2026 so far? Email jake@cultr.com for your thoughts on this movie, and this review!