In the Name of the Father

Written by: Sheridan et al Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Emma Thompson

Too much of a good thing? Day-Lewis is predictably great as the falsely accused Gerry Conley, and Postlethwaite is every bit as good playing Gerry's father. And certainly what happened was a terrible miscarriage of justice. But I can't get over the feeling that it's just not enough to support an entire movie--at least one not this long. The picture wears its outrage like a medal ("How dare they do this those sleazy bastards!") but that only detracts from the overall impact. We must be allowed to discover this within ourselves rather than have it rubbed in our faces every second. Compare this with "My Left Foot," which was so pure in its objectivity that we had no choice but to be overcome by what we saw. In contrast this picture seems shrill and bombastic, utterly lacking in subtlety. It also hurts that Gerry really was a scumbag, so much so that his redemption is only partly convincing. And I'm still not sure what Thompson was doing there in that negligible role. Still, a strong picture and certainly a vivid portrait of an era and its (ongoing) struggle. (2/16/94)