Kneecap

8/8/2024

Director Rich Peppiatt‘s rowdy, frenzied film “Kneecap” is a lively biopic based on the hell-raising Irish rap trio of the same name. You’ve probably never heard of these musicians, but the film celebrates the general sense of anarchy as these young men become key figures in a civil rights movement to save their mother tongue. It’s a story about finding your voice in a world that seems determined to keep you down, all told with a slew of swear words, hip-hop tracks, and lots of drug-fueled shenanigans. Set in West Belfast in 2019, the film depicts the origins of the group Kneecap, including insight on how they created their unique sound. In a bid to push back against the establishment, Liam Óg, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (who play themselves in the film) take to the stag

8/21/2024

Two lads with little by way of opportunity hook up with a school music teacher (DJ Próvai) whose wife "Caitlin" (Fionnuala Flaherty) is fighting for the legalisation of the Irish Gaelic language. Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara play themselves as two "low life scum" who have been taught to weaponise their language by "Arlo" (Michael Fassbender) who has decided that it's probably safer for him to die in a fatal accident at sea before the authorities catch up with him. With his ma unwilling to leave the house, Móglaí and his pal start to realise that there is a great deal of power in honestly crafted lyrics that cut through the politics and resonate directly with sections of the population consistently under-represented by mainstream media, radio, music... Thing is, though, the peelers aren't so kee

8/22/2024

<em>'Kneecap'</em> is fairly entertaining. It's impressive how good the acting is given it stars the musical trio in acting debuts as basically themselves. Michael Fassbender adds star power, could've used more of Lalor Roddy (great in <em>'That They May Face the Rising Sun'</em>, fwiw) mind. Other pluses include the camera work and the music; never heard of Kneecap until now, though their stuff is merged in nicely. The humour is amusing too, arguably the movie's strongest element to be honest. With those positives noted, I didn't find the story all that interesting - and there's a lot of convenience involved for it, as every character has a (too) direct connection to everything else. The main characters are a bit cringe too in moments, though the humour does admittedly just about sh