Saipan 2026 Movie Review
Saipan 2025 A film, loosely based on the fall out between Republic of Ireland’s team manager MIck McCarthy (Steve Coogan) & their star player Roy Keane (Eanna Hardwicke) and Keane’s subsequent departure from the Irish World Cup camp.
Firstly Hardwicke doesn’t look like Keane, he’s a lot taller , but he does capture the arrogance of Keane, Coogan likewise isn’t a direct copy but captures his apparent haphazard approach to man management.
What I felt when watching the film, is what a mess the Irish planning was. That was the problem, Manchester United’s Keane expected more.
I watched the Damned United only last week which deals with the rivalry between Brian Clough and Don Revie, its tense, funny and genuinely interesting this isn’t.
Its OK, and does play on the jolly Irish stereotypes.
The highlight for me was hearing the sublime Walker Brothers version of Tom Rush’s No Regrets over the end credits.
A footnote to the film, from 2002 when watching Ireland’s penalty shootout against Spain in the pub, my friend who I was with spent the whole match looking at a Spanish students buttocks, she was a sight to behold to be fair. Consequently on leaving the pub he went to a brothel to console himself after Ireland’s defeat. Funny what you remember.
